


Ellershouse

by Blush



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-18
Updated: 2012-12-17
Packaged: 2017-11-21 10:16:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 50,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/596550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blush/pseuds/Blush
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adopted brothers Duo and Quatre are separated when the Merge happens. Duo meets a violent prisoner while Quatre tries to survive being pursued by the enemy's finest. Will they be reunited, or will the enemy prevail? 1X2 3X4 5X? Urban Fantasy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter One:

QUATRE

It was a disturbingly normal Thursday when Quatre made his daily commute; a one mile trek from the Winner family home to the steps of the regional public school. His final year couldn't go fast enough for Quatre Raberba Winner both his home and school lives were secluded, lonely and dull. For starters, his parents were basically out of the picture, the school children believed he was a spoilt rich kid and he was above average intelligence. This made walking to the doors of the school a more mundane task than ever. The school work alone was of little to no challenge and any homework given he could fly through in a matter of minutes.

The soles of Quatre's worn sneakers scuffed along the pavement as he made himself hurry. The only thing worse than school is having to stay late after everyone else had gone home. It was a crisp and cool, yet sunny day in October and the leaves had just begun to change. Some had already fallen to the pavement, made flat by the hundreds of cars that drove over them. The down town core was as stuffed as ever with pedestrians and drivers all trying their best to make it to work on time.

Beep Beep!

Quatre lifted his head from the leaves and watched as the black mustang flew around the corner, the white flash of a hand out the window waving out a hello. Or a goodbye, I guess. Quatre didn't bother waving back at Duo-he preferred walking to what would happen to him if he showed up in an expensive car.

Duo Maxwell had come to live with the Winner family when he was eleven years old. One day Quatre's parents came home with a sickly, skinny child and dumped Duo on the carpet in front of him. He remembered the wide violet eyes and the mistrust that was brimming there. Helen, the family nanny, tried to get him in the bath but Duo refused. Dressed in his skivvies only, Quatre watched from the open doorway as Helen tried to coax the long haired boy into the warm water. From the look of his skin he hadn't seen a bathtub in a while- if ever.

Duo stood with his arms crossed, a little scowl on his damp skinny cheeks. Quatre had walked in and quietly got undressed and stepped into the soapy warm water. To this day he isn't sure what made him do it but Duo relaxed enough to take his hand and step into the water, sinking down enough so Helen could properly wash his dirty and bruised skin. His hair was matted and greasy and Quatre took to washing it the best he could while Duo sat there, knees to his chest. Helen had made the comment about cutting the mats out of his hair and Duo scowled so fiercely and guarded his hair so efficiently that Helen dropped the subject and to this day has never come up again.

Quatre was sure if his parents had fostered Duo instead of adopted him they would have promptly returned him as quickly as an undersized suit. Fortunately for Quatre, Duo was a permanent thing. He always wondered why his parents had adopted another son. Was he not good enough? Was Duo there for him so he wouldn't be alone as often? Quatre's parents were almost always away on business. His father was the CEO of a multi-million dollar company and his mother spent nine months out of the year at sea as an intelligence officer with the military. He also isn't sure if they fell out of love or just never loved each other in the first place. Quatre could count on one hand how often his father was home each month and even less for his mother. He wasn't even aware when her next dry dock would be.

Regardless, if Quatre had no one else, he had Duo. Quatre refused outright once he graduated junior high at a prestigious private school that he would only attend the region's public school. He had many reasons for this-most stemming from his hatred of high and mighty children accustomed to getting whatever they want. Quatre believed that humans are all alike, all the same. That no one's self worth is more than anyone else's. Besides, the Darlian family ruled the school and spending one more moment listening to Relena talking about the newest designer shoes, Quatre was sure he would stand on his desk and scream.

Duo was there there when Quatre fell out of the tree in their yard that had just begged to be climbed when he was fifteen. He was there at the doctors office when Quatre received his first prescription for his asthma, had been there to take him to the emergency room at Queen Elizabeth II hospital in the first damn place. No one else but Helen was around and she was only there from nine to five and anything else once the two boys turned twelve they were on their own for. Duo once made the joke that once an orphan, always an orphan-which Quatre didn't find any comedy in at all. Duo should have had a loving family adopt him. The normal mother than cooks a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving and Christmas or that shows up for their birthdays. They had both been orphans growing up, in a sense.

Duo was also there one one of those rare nights last year when both their parents were home, holding Quatre's hand tightly while Quatre summed up the courage to tell his parents he was gay. When his parents packed up his suitcase and paid for an overpriced clinician from a religious camp to pick Quatre up and take him away, Duo was there at the door to slam it firmly in their faces.

Duo was the only shimmer of light in Quatre's lonely world. As children they became very close-Quatre by taking care of Duo at night when the nightmares from his youth were the most severe and Duo- by keeping Quatre's spirits high enough that they may get out of this godforsaken city someday. Quatre had struggled with self-harm in his early teen years and sometimes even now, when he was really depressed, he would revert back to it as a coping mechanism. Duo knew about the injuries being in the past but did not realize that Quatre would still sometimes need to release his pent up frustration and stress in the only way he knew how.

Quatre could see the brick of the school as he rounded the corner. Citadel High, a brand new amalgamated school. The city took the two worst rivals, bulldozed their crummy schools, and shoved them all together into one. The disciplinary rate was almost outrageous. People still held past grudges and most of the innocent students like Quatre would get into the midst of things, unintentionally.

Quatre thought that maybe he would get a reprieve today, that his school yard bullies would be absent today. No such luck, his heart sank as he shifted his backpack and tried to get lost in the sea of bodies climbing the concrete steps. There, at the top, stood Dorothy and her clones. Quatre could take the physical abuse from the jocks but the sharp words that came out of Dorothy's mouth could make a sailor cringe.

He knew the exact moment he was spotted. Her face scrunched up as if she smelled something rotten and spoke loudly enough for everyone in the entire courtyard to hear.

"Well, well, Quatre Winner-and what do we have here?"

Her long arm snaked out and grabbed his black earphones out of his ears, violently detaching it from his Ipod. He was happy the Ipod itself was tucked safely into the pouch in his backpack.

Dorothy's group snickered while people stopped to see the commotion. Everyone knew the Winner kid was the richest heir in town and they also knew he had no friends to back him up and no backbone to fight back for himself. Everyone also knew that Duo Maxwell-Winner was his adopted brother but he always hung out with the rest of the jocks on the second floor, near the offices.

Quatre suddenly found something very interesting on the ground at his feet, his face aflame with embarrassment. This was a game he wasn't going to play. Sometimes he pictured himself growing so angry he punched Dorothy right in the eye, splitting the skin open like he's always wanted to. Today, he just tried to sneak around them politely. He could deal with the loss of one set of headphones even if it meant he had to wait until the end of the day to get another.

Dorothy let him get to her elbow and he thought he was in the clear when she reached out and grabbed the hood of his blue sweater and yanked, hard.

Quatre choked for a moment before losing his balance and falling flat on his ass in front of 50% of the student body. It was like a chorus of laughter that penetrated his head, likely to remain there for a long time-nagging at him.

"What a loser."

"Not so rich and perfect now, Winner."

Students that he never even met spat out insults from all around him.

Dorothy's laugh, above all others, infuriated and berated him. His puffer had fallen out of his pocket and when he got the nerve to stand up and leave she was spraying the medication into the air, following him through the entrance into the school-laughing all the way.

They gave up the chase by the time he got to the men's room and Quatre's hands shook as they grasped the sides of the sink. He took in deep breaths, trying to calm himself. If he got worked up enough his asthma could flare up and like hell he was finding Dorothy begging for his medication back. He looked in the mirror at the blue eyes and blond hair-his face had no sign of malice or any other reason he could possibly think of for why the students would act like they do. It was the Winner name that tagged him as different as much as the different coloured nail polish he wore on each finger.

Quatre gathered his wits and made his way out the steel door into the now empty hallway towards his home room. He was late, he knew, and there was no leniency here. Give a student an inch and they take a mile, it seems to be the school motto. Detention after school was going to suck, especially without his beloved headphones.

The can of blue spray paint in his bag tinged as he walked and his spirits rose. If anything at least he had something to do over the lunch hour. Quatre was somewhat of a secret graffiti artist-tagging almost everything he could get his hands on and lately had been trying his hand at larger portraits.

He grinned as he walked into class.


	2. Chapter 2

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Two:

Duo

It was a disturbingly normal Thursday when Duo grabbed his jacket and flew out the door of the Winner home, sliding into the drivers seat of his black Ford Mustang. The leather was a little chilly on his behind but he shook it off, cranked the music and rolled out of the long driveway. The commute to school was only a mile and Quatre had already left twenty minutes ago. Duo had offered to drive him numerous times but Quatre refused to 'shove his wealth' as he eloquently put it, in all the other kids faces.

Pssht.

Quatre had always been too soft hearted and took how other people looked at him way too seriously. Who cares if he is gay? Or that he doesn't care what he dresses like? For all Duo knew they would never see these people again after they finally graduate in the spring. Duo also knew that if people knew the real Quatre, the deep, brooding and selfless Quatre they would all love him as much as Duo did.

He sighed. Duo's final year was going too fast for his liking. Yeah, he wanted to get the hell out as much as Quatre does but he would really miss his team and his buddies at school. They hadn't even discussed what college they would apply to once they've graduated. He was sure he could make any university soccer team but Quatre had no real interests in anything, or anyone, for that matter. Unfortunately Quatre didn't have as many options as Duo-his health wasn't great what with the asthma and depression. Duo fervently hoped Quatre was out of the worst of it-the depression two years earlier was so bad Quatre was resorting to unhealthy methods to let out his anger and frustration. Lately though, Quatre had picked up a new outlet; graffiti. As long as Quatre didn't get wet paint on Duo's glossy car he was completely supportive of destroying government and private property.

The loud music came to a stop on the radio and the announcer's voice sounded urgent and loud in the small cab.

"Breaking news, a local prison was conducting an early transfer of prisoners to another facility when two high profile inmates managed to escape from their van. They are considered violent and dangerous criminals-if anyone has any information regarding this..."

Duo snorted and switched the channel dial back to music. If these two guys were smart they would already be half way to Mexico by now. Duo spotted a head of golden curls and threw a haphazard wave out the window. Quatre was walking with his head down and an oversized hoodie engulfing his small frame. Duo wishes he would come to his senses and realize that being a Winner isn't all bad. There was always enough food on the table and more than enough hired help that any chores were already taken care of. The perks of being adopted were numerous. Duo was allowed to pick out a vehicle, any make and model, on his sixteenth birthday and Quatre was told the same but had opted out and told his parents to donate the money to the Red Cross.

Honestly, if the Winners hadn't come in that fateful day Duo would likely have been just another dead kid in a gutter, or worse.

He remembered how the authorities had picked him up off the streets-not for the first time-and dropped him off at the old Maxwell orphanage. This happened every so often, Duo would get caught, sent to the orphanage and would sneak out the very next day. Bad things can, and will, happen to you in the dark corners of an orphanage. Duo's body gave an involuntary shudder and he switched his mind to other things as he neared the school.

Duo pushed the brake, slowing for the upcoming school zone. Students were lazing around on the front step as it was too early to go inside. He pulled into the parking lot beside the school and found his usual spot, thankful no one had snatched it.

Since book bags were out this season he grabbed his books from the front seat and closed the door, listening for the sound of the locks clicking into place. You can never be too careful this close to the down town core there are thieves and hustlers and even prisoners running around out there now. He knows, he had been one of those car robbing little tykes. He ran up the concrete steps of the school two at a time, braid flapping behind him. If Duo could get upstairs quick enough he might be able to chill out with his gang before home room.

His presence was met by a chorus of greetings.

"Hey D-man!"

"Damn, Duo when are you gonna take me for a ride in that pretty little car of yours?" Dorothy, followed by her posse, was definitely the most vocal in her affections.

Duo snickered. Dorothy could wish all she wants but there was no way he was taking that smart-mouthed bitch anywhere and especially in his beloved Mustang. He would save that for the special little lady, if he ever found one worth taking. Duo had been attending that high school for years and he had yet to find a girl that was worth the bother, or that he had any interest in past the first few dates. All of his friends presume he is a lady killer but the truth of it is; he had never been with anyone, ever.

Not that he would ever admit to it.

There was one girl he was thinking about asking out and today was the day. Hilde was on the cheerleading squad that practised at the same time Duo's soccer team was on the field and Duo thought she looked okay. She wasn't as shallow as the rest of the girls on the squad either and the girl could hold her own in an intelligent conversation.

He made a pit stop to the bathroom, the door slamming behind him. His hands griped the edge of the sink and Duo looked at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were of a violet hue, if a bit dark and secretive, and his hair was his pride and joy. He was lean and tall and athletic so what wasn't to like? He steeled his nerve and decided to talk to Hilde before home room. Maybe they could set up a date for tonight after their practices were over, if he was lucky. He smiled that megawatt smile at his reflection and made his way out of the cold bathroom.

His heart fluttered and he thought 'do other people usually get this nervous?'

Duo pushed open the heavy metal door and walked down the now packed hallway in search of Hilde. Where was Quatre, anyway?


	3. Chapter 3

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Three:

QUATRE

As the day dragged slowly on Quatre made a mental list of all the things he could do over lunch hour. Obviously, chilling out at the school was never an option since all of the jocks were out in full force. Each team was its own clique and yet they all banded together to make his life a living hell while at school. They always made sure Duo was far out of the picture before attempting to bully him. These were Duo's best friends and would never let Duo know how terribly they treated his adopted brother.

Sometimes Quatre wondered how different things could be-if these people didn't know who he was maybe he could have a chance at making friends. Or even one friend. Duo's megawatt smile and his don't-give-a-shit attitude, along with his orphan background, made him a star among the other students. His long legs and perfect physical condition made him a star among the jock population at the school.

This facility was like a maze; the halls twisted and turned and at each dead end was someone Quatre didn't like. Jocks in one corner, Dorothy and her clones in another. Even the emo kids shunned him because apparently he didn't have enough drama to fit in with this crowd. The cheerleaders hung out in the same hall as the jocks and spent their mind numbing moments playing with their hair and talking about nothing in particular. There was no section of this school where Quatre could go and eat his meal in peace.

The class he currently sat through was math, a topic he excelled at without trying. He sat closest to the window like he did in every other class so he could see the large mound of the Halifax Citadel in the distance. The green covered mound was topped with a tall white mast heavily weighed with flags and black discs. The city of Halifax was rich in heritage beginning with the first early settlers to the heavily fortified citadel and harbour. Now there were around 390 000 people that lived and worked in the Halifax Regional Municipality and Quatre wished vehemently he wasn't one of them.

The classroom was of normal size and filled with twenty or so desks all filled with bored teenagers wishing to be anywhere but here. Quatre could see a note passing from person to person, another sticking gum under the corner of a desk and girls giggling in the very back of the room. Some students looked poor and neglected while others were well groomed and well fed. Some students wore normal clothes while others sported Abercrombie and Fitch logos. Another indication of their social divide.

The lights flickered in and out and everyone cheered, arms fist pumping into the air.

The teacher looked around, confused, and dropped her dry erase marker into the tray. She walked over to the light switch beside the door while some of the students started gladly packing up their books. Quatre just sat and waited patiently. She flicked the switch twice and the light flooded the room, forcing children back into their seats. The room echoed with groans of disappointment. She walked back to her desk grumbling about salt in the power grid. Quatre felt that would be near impossible because they hadn't had any severe weather lately. Regardless, they were still stuck here for another five hours that were dragging as slowly as ever.

The bell finally rang, cutting off whatever the teacher was about to say and Quatre slowly packed up his books, sliding them neatly into place. He was in no hurry to leave the relative safety of the classroom and the teachers presence. He waited until the final student had cleared out of the room and walked to the door. He peeked out and looked left to right. Deeming it all clear he shouldered his pack and made for the English classroom which was all the way through the jock's designated hallway. Quatre looked down and hoped he could get there without incident.

"Hey Quatre!" Hilde's voice startled him. He looked up and she was standing next to a bench filled with members of the hockey team.

He managed a small smile for her and continued on his way.

One of the larger of them, Jacob, stuck out his foot and Quatre tripped over it landing on his face. The pain was like a spark reverberating through his anger and embarrassment.

Jacob and his friends laughed, "Why would you even talk to a kid like that Hilde? It's so not good for your image you know. You have a reputation to protect."

Quatre got up and kept walking refusing to look back to see if Hilde would defend him because he knew very well that she wouldn't. She would turn a shade of red and blush her way through the awkward conversation. He was angry. Why did she have to go and talk to him like that? He obviously isn't wanted there and just wanted to get to his next class on time. Is that too much to ask?

When Quatre rounded the corner he elbowed the nearest locker in frustration. Nothing was going right today-first his encounter with Dorothy and now he had a cheekbone that smarted from smacking the floor. If lunchtime ever came he was so out of here.

He entered the English classroom, sat down in his chair by the window and tuned out everything that was going on around him. He ignored the other students, the teacher and the noise until someone rushed into the classroom in a panic. It was a teacher Quatre had never seen before.

"The power went out all over the world...they think it was caused by a solar flare or something. It only went out for a few seconds but it was just enough time for some planes to crash off the coast..." The man paused for breath.

"They are forcing all of the aircraft currently in flight into emergency landings, in case we get another one."

The students were abuzz with excitement and some with fear. Quatre was interested. If something like that could happen once it could surely happen again. He wondered vaguely how this power outage could have affected his parents. Quatre wasn't sure when his father was due to come home but his mother's ship was still out to sea for quite some time. If the solar flare could affect aircraft Quatre was sure that battleships could be affected as well. Even detrimentally.

He shook off his worry-the power was back on and everyone was in the clear now that the planes were being forced to land. He had a lot of sympathy for those people that crashed into the Atlantic but there was nothing anyone could do about it now.

The teacher talked with the man a while longer with Quatre pondered this event in his head. The students were having a field day and some even made cruel remarks about the dead. When they grow up they will regret having that kind of attitude, of that Quatre was sure. People couldn't remain mean and uneducated forever, could they?

"Maybe it was aliens!" Alex shouted from the back of the class.

"Maybe it was the Winner kid! He kinda looks like an alien." Another said while the class snickered.

Quatre sat sullenly at his desk.

Really, they think a seventeen year old kid took down two planes because he was an alien. If he was in fact an alien, he sure as hell wouldn't be sitting in this classroom. He would be in an all together new galaxy far, far away from these snide and cruel people.

The man that came in stopped talking abruptly, turning from their teacher and asked, "Is the Winner kid in this classroom? Quatre?"

Every head swung around to look at him. Quatre sat up, not craving this unwanted attention he was getting. The other kids even came to a hushed silence to hear what Winner had done now.

At least the man had the gall to look somewhat sympathetic as Quatre was informed, "One of the planes that went down off the coast was the Winner Enterprises private jet. Was your father on board young man?"

Of course he was. His jet was wherever his father was as no one else ever used it.

He was being watched, everyone waited to see his breakdown but Quatre refused to let them have the satisfaction. Instead he stood, packing his things into his backpack, slowly sliding them into place. His face held the same calm and cool composure that it normally did.

The messenger said, "I am sorry for your loss," as Quatre walked past the desks and out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Four:

DUO

Duo looked all over the school to find Hilde once he made up his mind to finally ask her out. He checked all of her hangouts, the library and cafeteria, and she was no where to be found. Finally Duo gave up his chase and decided to put it off for another day. It wasn't like he could just call her up or anything unless he tracked down her phone number from a girlfriend. He mulled that over and wondered if it would be too forward of him to do so.

Things were looking up when he walked into his morning chemistry class and, lo and behold, Hilde was there. The classroom was full of students so he decided that now wasn't the time and it could wait until he could catch her leaving.

The class was a normal set-up with black tables and high chairs partnered up in twos. There was an abundance of natural light from the almost floor to ceiling windows and it shined off Hilde's hair when she smiled that kind smile of hers. Duo grinned like an idiot when she patted the chair next to hers, an invitation to be class partners for the day.

The rest of the class was also in the process of partnering up when Dorothy cut off Duo from his path to Hilde and his seat. She twirled her hair around her finger and gave him that come here baby smile.

Duo gave an involuntary shudder.

"Hey Duo, about that-"

"Yeah about that Dorothy, I told you already I'm busy Friday night." He made eye contact with Hilde and tried to skirt around the blond.

He had to give her something; the girl really was persistent.

Dorothy gave a rueful smile that could really pass as a grimace. Instead of protesting she turned around on her heel and ploped down in the seat next to Hilde.

So she was going to play that game, well Duo could play it too, and well. He strutted languidly past Hilde and sat down beside some kid he had never talked to before.

"So Hil,' I was thinking about that away game this weekend and thought it might be a good idea to carpool there, you know, together."

Hilde blushed and said, "Well I have to get there somehow anyway so we may as well."

"Don't worry, I won't try nothin'. Promise. I can be a true gentleman."

He leaned over and grabbed her hand from where it rested on her books and kissed it softly, a glimmer in his eye.

She giggled and Duo thought that was way easier that he thought it would be. Maybe this Friday would be the Friday and he could no longer be embarrassed when the guys on his team talked about all the girls they slept with. Even so, it was great to see Dorothy quietly stewing over it. She had never really done anything to Duo directly but the things he heard her say about people were terrible. Duo didn't like those kind of girls-they were shallow, empty and cruel and got off on other people's hardships.

The things they would have done to a girl like that on the streets. If you couldn't keep friends you couldn't get food and if you couldn't get food you were dead. She wouldn't have lasted the week there.

Duo slid on the nerdy safety glasses and crisp white lab coat and got down to business. As it turns out his partner was a chemistry genius and Duo was learning a lot until there was a timid knock on the classroom door. It was so timid and unlike a normal knock that everyone stopped what they were doing and looked towards the door as it slowly opened. A head of blond hair peeked through.

"Quatre?"

Quatre didn't say anything but he beckoned for Duo to follow. Hilde raised an eyebrow at Duo wondering why his brother would come looking for him in the middle of a class.

Duo looked around the class, shrugged, and said, "Be back in a second Mr. F."

Duo threw the safety glasses on the counter and hung the lab coat off the back of his chair. As he left he heard his teacher muttering about interruptions and children with 'no respect these days.'

Quatre was alone in the hallway and he was obviously in distress. He was gasping and sputtering and his usually pale face was flushed a bright red.

"Geeze, Quat, where's your freaking puffer?"

Duo grabbed Quatre's book bag off his shoulder and threw it on the floor, rummaging for Quatre's medication.

Quatre protested, insisting he stop looking because it wasn't in there.

"Then where is it? Don't tell me you left it at home..."

Quatre sputtered out between breaths, "Dorothy. Took it."

"Why in the hell would Dorothy take your medication, Quatre?"

He shrugged.

Duo's mouth fell open in shock. He was furious. It was one thing to gossip about people but Duo only loved two things in this life, his brother and his car. God help those that hurt either of them.

Duo turned around and flung the door to the classroom open, startling some students into dropping empty vials on the floor. He made a bee-line for Dorothy and stopped short of knocking her off her chair.

"Did you take Quatre's puffer?"

The class was dead silent. No one ever crossed Dorothy but then again no one ever crossed Duo Maxwell-Winner.

Her face slowly flushed red as she stuttered, "Uh yeah, I found it. I was going to give it to him later when I saw him next."

Duo's body was thrumming with anger as she reached into her purse and pulled out the puffer.

He snatched it from her hand violently and leaned in close. "Do you have any idea what could have happened if he'd had an attack and didn't have this. I see right through you, Dorothy Catalonia, and you are rotten."

Duo stopped short of spitting in her face, albeit difficultly, and made himself return to Quatre. His brother would need his meds.

When he got to the hall Quatre was calming down a bit and Duo was able to help him take his puffer. His breathing was better but he still had difficulty talking.

"Ugh, Quat, I can't believe that just happened. I am so angry I could walk back in there and throw the bitch out the god damned window!"

"Duo...stop."

"What? For God's sake Quatre take your time, you just had an episode."

Quatre's was leaning against a locker when he could finally say it.

"My father's plane went down in the Atlantic."

"Wha-"

"He's dead, Duo."

"Are you sure it was him? Maybe it was a different plane, Quatre. Who told you that crap? Dorothy?"

Quatre sighed, uncrossed his arms and held a hand out to his adoptive brother. He didn't feel bad saying "his" father instead of "their" father as Duo had made it very clear in the past he didn't consider Mr. Winner anything more than a landlord.

"Come with me." Quatre glanced back at him.

"I can't-"

"Duo Maxwell-Winner, I am not playing around. Come with me."

Quatre yanked on his hand and pulled his brother down the empty hallway to the front entrance of the building. There, at the end of the concrete steps, sat the limo and out stepped their old nanny made housekeeper.

Duo's heart started beating faster as he realized that yeah, something really was wrong. Two police cars flanked the limo and news vans started to pull up, reporters spilling onto the side walks with their camera crews.

"Shit Quatre..."

"Yeah Duo, I know."

Helen ushered them into the limo as the two police officers held back the few reporters that made it too close to the vehicle.

Duo looked out the tinted window and saw faces pressed against the glass from all the students watching them from inside the school. They always were a nosy lot.

Quatre reached out a hand and grasped Duo's, gently squeezing it in reassurance. Duo thought it should be him making the reassurances seeing how this was Quatre's father and all.

As the limo pulled away from the raucous Helen said quietly, "They are trying to get a hold of your mother at sea, Quatre. So far they have been having problems communicating with the ship."

Duo thought that was just as well, givin how it would only make things worse if she was here.

They had all the mother they needed right there in front of them, and she came in the form of Helen.


	5. Chapter 5

ELLERSHOUSE:

Chapter Five

QUATRE

The trio spent the remainder of the short drive home in silence while Quatre pondered what would happen next. They had never really depended on their father for anything except financial support and now that Quatre inherited his fortune the two brothers were not dependent on anyone. Their mother had her own career in the Navy and was well compensated for her intelligence work. The death was not that big of a blow to the Winner family.

Quatre tried to recall Christmas' or birthdays with his father. Searched for some moment to make his death seem more significant to him, more tragic. He could only come up with the day his parents signed the adoption papers and brought Duo home. The day Quatre always believed was the day his life turned around for the better.

As the limo turned the corner and into the tree lined courtyard Quatre counted the trees as they passed. They were giant trees that stretched toward the sky like arms reaching upward, grasping at something they could never have. He had lived here all his life and didn't even know what kind they were. It was something he never thought to ask.

The driver took them to the front door of their home and Quatre was surprised to see so many reporters mulling about. When they caught sight of the limo they turned into a mob, each trying to get a glimpse of the Winner heir.

Duo's hand tapping impatiently on the door handle distracted him.

"Can we get out now, or what?" Duo was unimpressed.

There were more police officers here at the house than there were at the school and as a result they were able to efficiently keep the media away.

An officer grabbed the door handle and swung it open, reaching a gloved hand in for Quatre to grab. As he stepped out of the vehicle the camera flashes made him partially blind and the police officer had to haul him up the walk to the front door. He could feel Duo following closely behind him, Duo's very presence calming him. The questions, yelled from different reporters, were even more unsettling than the camera flashes.

"Mr. Winner, do you have anything to say about your father's accident?"

"Do you think it could be terrorists?"

"Did someone have a grudge against your father?"

"What will you do with his company?" The crowd grew louder as the group passed through.

Quatre stayed silent and let the police handle the questions. He let out a sigh of relief when the heavy wooden door was closed and dead bolted behind them.

There was silence in the foyer.

"I kinda feel like Pamela Anderson or something. Everybody wanting to take our pictures, eh Quat?"

"More like Kristen Stewart after she broke up with Rob."

Duo chuckled.

The police officer cleared his throat nervously. My name is Officer Otto and I will be the liaison for your security team until this settles down with the media. For your protection I suggest that you both stay indoors and out of sight of the windows."

"Yeah right buddy-" Duo started to protest when Helen cut him off with a sharp look.

"If you would all please follow me to the main floor sitting room we should all have a proper discussion about this."

Quatre watched as Duo bit his lip. He was trying so hard not to say something sarcastic. Quatre wasn't sure if Duo could hold it for long, if at all.

As they took their seats on the plush chesterfields Duo plunked down into the lazy boy, long legs dangling over the sides. He twirled his hair and the look of concentration on his face made Quatre aware of the fight that was brewing. Quatre had never been faced with such a life changing event before and he had no clue where to start.

"I take it you and your father were not very close, Mr. Winner."

Duo sat up quickly in his seat, watching Quatre closely. No doubt in Quatre's mind that he was looking for some sign of weakness, something indicating he was overwhelmed. Duo was the only person who really saw how Quatre struggled with his depression two years ago. None of that could matter now; he had his father's estate, business and rag tag family to take care of.

"No, Otto, we were not. I can't even remember the last time I'd seen him here for more than a few days at a time."

"Is that normal behaviour for him? To take leave of his family for so long?"

Duo laughed that that. "Are you kiddin', we were practically raised by Helen. I don't even consider Mr. Winner to be my father, or even my adoptive father for that matter. The man had no fatherly bone in his body and frankly neither does Mrs. Winner, if you ask me."

"When was he due back?"

Quatre pondered this question but could not remember the last time his father talked about coming home.

"I don't know."

"To be frank, I really do believe you would be safest inside your home for the next few weeks." The officer stared directly at Duo who was rolling his eyes at the mere suggestion.

Quatre honestly thought it would take all of the correctional officers in the city to keep Duo caged inside, even one so large as their home. He was very free-spirited and would only do what he wanted to do, and even that only when he wanted to do it.

"Got championships coming up, sorry bro'. I didn't work my ass off the last four years to miss out on our last chance because some people want to take pictures and ask questions. I'm sure I can handle it."

"Would you really want to risk yourself, and your brother, to public scrutiny? I mean, you should be grieving, not running back to school to play sports."

"I'll grieve in my own way, thank you very much. Who are you to tell me what to do?" The braided teen was leaning forward out of his chair, challenge emanating from his body language.

Quatre decided it was time to end the conversation before it turned into an all out brawl.

"Perhaps we could plan a meeting tomorrow with a security detail, Officer?" Quatre glanced at Duo and added, "Of course, we could really use your staff to help until we have our own."

Duo shook his head negatively but Quatre wasn't having any of it. Asking the local police for help was not above Quatre but obviously Duo thinks he can brave fifty determined journalists on his own. Folly.

"All of our able bodied men and women are out searching for the two escapees. They are on a higher priority list than even you, Mr. Winner. They are both convicted murderers and may be armed. I suggest you take the one car I can lend over night and in the morning stay here. Try and convince your brother to do the same."

At that he stood and left and Helen politely escorted him out. Quatre really thought Helen would put up a fight with Duo about the lack of security but she stayed quiet the entire time. Maybe she was confident Quatre could deal with these issues himself-God knows he wasn't.

Duo slapped his hands on his knees and stood, stretching on the way to the window. He peeked out behind the blind and was met with a flash right in his eyes.

"What an asshole!

Quatre shook his head as Duo tore the blind back and gave the journalist the picture that would likely make tomorrow's front page; two middle fingers and a maniacal grin from ear to ear.


	6. Chapter 6

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Six:

DUO

If they honestly think they can keep me locked in this house like this for weeks they are dumber than I thought they were.

Duo sat quietly in his chair after Quatre politely dismissed himself to his room. In all honesty Duo would be going to school in the morning, with or without his brother. His whole life depended on his getting into a decent university and playing soccer; it was his only path to going pro.

Quatre had refused Helen's gentle prodding to eat something and Duo was not feeling up to it either. His mind was focused solely on how Quatre was handling the news of his father's death. In public he was calm and collected but Duo wondered how Quatre was behind the closed door of his room. Was he crying his baby blue eyes out? Screaming into a pillow? Or worse, was he cutting himself again? Duo glanced worriedly up the staircase and decided to check it out for himself.

He crept up the stairs slowly, his long legs missing the creaky steps on purpose.

Not my first time sneaking in, or out, of this house.

He stopped just outside the door to Quatre's room and peered under the door. There was no light coming from underneath it and when Duo laid his ear against the door it was eerily silent.

Maybe he should knock? He would be naturally worried about his brother at a time like this right? Duo did not want Quatre to suspect that he was worried about Quatre's mental health again. Duo knew he was stronger than he had been two years ago but that does not mean something as devastating as this could tip the scale back the other way.

Duo convinced himself to knock and stopped short when he heard a knock come from another part of the house. There must be someone at the front door.

God help them if it was a reporter.

He leapt down the steps more quickly than he had ascended them and beat Helen to the door.

"I got it, Helen. Go relax, would ya. Read or knit or something."

"Knit? How old do you think I am?" When she smiled the laugh lines on her face were displayed more prominently. Working in this household it's a wonder how she is still alive at all.

Duo knew the woman had no real interest in such things but had to lovingly joke with her anyway.

He took a quick look through the peep hole and saw a uniformed police officer. Really? It was still light outside and the crowd did not look like it had diminished in size. Maybe they would all leave when it gets dark, one could hope. Duo thought they were crazy coming here looking to exploit his brother's pain in the first place.

He swung the door open and immediately regretted it. There, standing behind the officer was Doctor H-Quatre's old psychiatrist.

"Oh no you don't. Quatre doesn't need anything you're selling, pal. Take your little black bag of magic pills and go back the way you came."

The doctor smiled down at him and said with more than just a little bit of attitude, "My visit is not optional, Duo. As Quatre's psychiatrist I feel that he may harm himself or someone else in light of this tragic event."

Bullshit. He just wanted the fat paycheck he would get from the Winner family when he was done medicating Quatre to death.

"Like I said, not optional." The doctor indicated the police officers and Duo reluctantly stepped aside and let them in. He quickly shut the door, effectively protecting them from the flashbulbs and reporters.

Duo stood at the base of the staircase with his arms crossed protectively guarding Quatre from these would be helpers.

"Duo, may I remind you that your father entrusted me with your brother's mental health? I guided him through the roughest patch two years ago, remember?"

Duo stared pointedly at the man in blue and the officer backed away to the next room, followed by Helen. The woman really was a natural at reading social cues.

Duo growled, "Look, buddy, Quatre's rough patch was caused by you and if you hadn't over medicated him so much that he looked like a freaking zombie I would probably be glad to let you talk to him."

"I did not..."

"You did! You convinced him he was different, that he was sick, and he wasn't sick. He was gay! People are gay all the time. Like right now, I'm sure there are many people being gay. Right. This. Second. Why don't you go help them instead?"

"But..."

These feelings had been building up in Duo for a long time. In his opinion the doctor and his visits with Quatre had made Quatre much, much worse.

At first Quatre travelled to Doctor H's clinic downtown but their father thought that was bad for their family's reputation. It should not have mattered when it was his son's health being questioned. Afterward, the doctor made the trip to the family home for his psychiatric appointments. Duo was sure he had been happily and richly compensated for his time.

It was at one of these home appointments that Duo sat outside the door and listened to what they were saying.

/

"Do you dream often?"

"Yes."

"And what kind of things do you think about when you do dream?"

Their voices were muffled by both door and distance but Duo strained to hear. He had never been more afraid until the moment he found Quatre in his room with a razor blade. It was such a small, shiny thing and Quatre hid it in his hand, hiding it behind his back. But Duo had seen, and it was not something he could rightly forget. He told Helen, who told their parents and Duo was convinced by them that it was the right thing to do.

Until he overheard their conversation.

"This is confidential right? Like, you won't even tell my parents?"

"It would be illegal for me to do so, young man."

"Oh. Okay."

There was a long silence.

"What do you dream about, Quatre?"

"I dream about boys. Well, guys mostly."

"Guys?"

"Yes. Guys."

"I see. Have you ever had an inclination to harm yourself before?"

"Yes, I have many times in the past."

"Why has it taken until now for someone to notice it? Have you been acting differently at home or school?"

There was a silence here. Duo remembered he was confused and angry that his brother had kept that a secret from him.

"Duo found me. I only do it when I feel..."

"When you feel?"

"Overwhelmed."

"Could you elaborate?"

"Well, sometimes I feel like I am stressed to the max. Like I am expected to do such great things because of my father and I can't even keep a friend at school, let alone a girlfriend. I've never even looked at a girl before. What if my dad finds out?"

"He won't. It's confidential."

"But if he did I think it would be terrible."

"What would be?"

"His reaction. Finding out his only heir is a hopeless loser with a thing for guys."

Another pause.

"It's okay Quatre. You're sick. I will get you some help, okay?"

"Okay."

/

His "help" as he put it was to promptly tell Mr. Winner everything in their session. Mr. Winner came home early from a trip and between the two they contacted a place that reforms people like Quatre.

Duo had broken every single piece of china in the house that day as Helen, the doctor and Mr. and Mrs. Winner looked on. He told them over his dead body was Quatre leaving and even went so much as to sit on the luggage that was already packed and waiting by the door. He waited all night long and in the morning when they came to knock on the door and collect their new patient Duo had slammed that door in their faces.

Good day, thanks for coming, and fuck you.

After that the doctor had only came on a month by month basis for a few months and medicated Quatre into oblivion. He had no emotions, no smiles, basically; no Quat.

"He doesn't need you. All he needs is me, his brother. If you even think about climbing these stairs I will make sure you never reach the top."

"Duo, you are treading on dangerous ground."

"Bite me."

Doctor H sighed.

"I need to speak with him for just a moment and then I'll leave. Compromise, okay?" He held up his hands in a truce.

Duo glared at him suspiciously.

"For one minute and I am going to be there the entire time, got it?"

He nodded and Duo turned and led the psychiatrist to the door of Quatre's room. Behind it they heard a thump and Duo knocked and turned the knob, quickly stepping into the room.

It was dark and Quatre's curtains were all closed up tightly but his computer light was on. Quatre sat at the desk and was surprised to see them.

"Hey, ugh, what are you guys doing?"

"What was that sound?"

"I dropped my paperweight, why?"

Duo cleared his throat, "Uh, no reason. This dipshit is here to see you."

Quatre stood and by the expression on his face he was not happy to see Doctor H.

"Quatre, I just wanted to see how you were coping with your father's death."

"Fine, really."

The doctor was unconvinced and his eyes searched all over the room for some sign to prove otherwise. Looking for something that would side him back into his position as the Winner psychiatrist.

Duo hoped reverently he would not find one.

"What were you doing, Quatre?"

"I was reading up on the power outage. I had no idea it was on such a global scale. Apparently even though it was only for a few seconds it had catastrophic repercussions. The backup generators at the hospital didn't kick in and operating rooms went pitch black. There was at least one death in the city from the ventilators not rebooting after the power came back on."

Duo whistled, "that is impressive, Quatre. Are they still saying it was a solar flare?"

"It says here that they have a team of scientists trying to figure out 100% if it was or not. Honestly though, what else could cause that much widespread damage? The aircrafts are still grounded which is why there was no search and rescue attempt for father's plane."

Duo shrugged and looked at Doctor H.

"Pretty sure your minute is up, fucktard."

Duo saw Quatre's minute smile before he hid it and said, "Yes, good day to you, doctor. If I need you I will be sure to call."

Duo smirked and led the doctor down the stairs and out the door.

"And stay out!"

He slammed the door as the two exited, hoping to smack one of them on the ass with it. Wouldn't that be funny?

He turned around and decided it would be a very early night since Quatre was in his room craving isolation. Duo made his way to his own room and sprawled out on the bed and grabbed a book off the shelf above his head.

Two pages in and he was fast asleep.

Later on around midnight Duo still lay fast asleep as his night light he kept to ward off nightmares of the orphanage flickered repeatedly, on and off. Duo had an unreal fear of the dark.

On and off.

On and off.

On and off.


	7. Chapter 7

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Seven:

QUATRE

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Quatre awoke the next morning to the sounds of the alarm clock on his watch beeping steadily in the background. He turned to his bedside alarm to find the clock face flashing 00:00 on and off. He ran a hand across his fatigued face and pressed on his temples. There was a dull ache behind his eyes that would hopefully not turn into a full blown migraine. Staying up so late was a very bad idea but Quatre was fascinated by the differing opinions scientists had about the power outages. Some believe the solar flare theory while others turn to human causes like global warming and terrorism. Whatever it was obviously was not good for any of them.

Launching himself out of bed Quatre bent down and pulled on the first thing he could find while blindly rooting along the floor. It was his old blue sweater he wore almost on a daily basis and the very same one that Helen kept threatening to throw out. He eyed a grey muscle shirt and took off the sweater to don that first. He had put the sweater on backward anyway.

He stood on the cold hardwood floor and tiptoed his way across to the dresser that took up the majority of wall space on that side of the room. Opening the drawers one by one he found many of them empty either from a lack of clean laundry or the fact that he almost never went shopping. It was likely the latter as Helen had simple tasks such as laundry well under control. He finally pulled out a clean pair of blue jeans and pulled them over his frigid legs. Perhaps he should invest in some quality long johns before winter hit.

"Aww shit! For fucks sakes..."

Quatre could hear Duo muttering in the hallway and he cracked the door open a bit. Duo was standing in the doorway to his own room pulling his socks up to his knees trying, and failing miserably, to keep his balance while he dressed himself.

"You going to be okay there, Duo?" Quatre chuckled at the spectacle, sometimes he didn't think Duo knew how comical he could be.

"Yeah I just remembered we're going to have to take the limo because the police made me leave my baby in the parking lot. God knows if it will even be there now! F'ing thieves."

"I am sure it is just fine, Duo. I hope the driver is here though...he probably doesn't expect us to leave the house today."

Duo finished dressing in his utmost fancy clothes reminiscent of a private school uniform. His overcoat was lined and screamed expensive while even his hat bore an AE logo. Duo looked like a Calvin Cline commercial - all he needed was a black and white frame girl in a bikini, with a body so small his hands could fit around her waist.

Duo gave him a sceptical look and said, "Look Quat, I can get us to school regardless if the driver is here or not. Pretty sure I said we had to take the limo, not ask the driver to drive us in the limo."

Oh, so he meant steal the family car for a one mile joy ride. Quatre shrugged. He was in.

"Going to have to sneak outta here though, I think the front door is being watched more closely than the last presidential election."

Quatre smiled at that. "Well, at least Obama won. I would hate for the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy to come back into effect. I mean, could you imagine the devastated soldiers, sailors and airmen that could be out of a job?"

Duo's eyes gleamed as disappeared into his ensuite, reappearing seconds later with a toothbrush hanging out the side of his mouth.

"Hmm Quat, bet you could console some of 'em."

Quatre's cheeks turned pink even as he laughed at the foaming toothpaste that was running down Duo's chin as he talked. Duo sputtered and ran back to the bathroom to spit while Quatre took the chance to finish getting ready himself.

Entering his ensuite Quatre took a moment to really look at himself. He had that Winner look; the blue eyes, the blond hair and very small of frame. Quatre always thought he was missing something, some feature that had not yet appeared but when it did it would finally make him whole.

He shrugged it off. It was no longer time to dwell on the past but to look toward the future instead. Of course, the greatest challenge would be to make it through high school first.

He sighed. First world problems.

Quatre hopped down the stairs and met his brother who was standing by the garage door with a shiny key dangling from one finger, a grin on his cherub face.

Helen came around the corner holding a tray of food and stopped short when she saw that the boys were both awake and ready before school, no prodding necessary for Duo. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted Duo's hand blatantly hiding something behind his back.

"What are you two troublemakers up to this morning?"

"Uh, nothing Mrs. H. Just waiting for our drive to school..."

"Uh-huh. Well no one is going anywhere until after they've eaten a proper breakfast."

Duo hung his head in mock surrender and the two followed Helen into the kitchen like chicks following their mother. Helen placed the food from the tray onto the table itself and watched them both like a hawk as Duo scarfed his down like a dog and Quatre ate as slowly as a bird.

As they continued to eat in silence Quatre remembered something from the day before he had meant to ask Helen.

"Helen, would you mind looking up Oz Security and making an appointment for me? I Googled the company last night and they seem like a reliable source of security. I think today we should be okay with the one police officer but for the long term I would prefer our own."

"Of course dear, but I do wish you would stop being so stubborn and stay home out of that mess."

Duo finished eating, laid his fork down on his plate and said, "I'm never going to get anywhere in life Mrs. H, without soccer. If I don't go I don't play. If I don't play I will lose any chance of being scouted for a university team. Quat' doesn't have to go with me if he really doesn't want to."

Like hell Quatre would let him face the public alone.

"No, I am going with you."

"Good. You see Helen, I made a promise to the coach at the beginning of the season, remember? And I never tell a lie. That's settled then, eh? Lets go pack the car."

Quatre left his plate, assured by Helen twice that she would take care of it, and grabbed his book bag from where it rested in the corner. He followed Duo out the garage door and walked down the side of the sleek limousine to the passenger seat. Duo slid into the drivers seat, jamming the key into the slot and the engine roared to life. His fingers found the small button that opens the garage door and pressed it.

As it opened the crowd outside gathered like a zombie army, all ready to eat someone in order to make a living in this city.

They jogged beside the limo and peered into the windows as Quatre slumped down further into his seat. Behind them he could see the police officer run to his car and promptly turned his car in their direction.

"Guess he's our escort."

"Hmm."

"Duo, do you think we will be okay?"

Duo gave him a sidelong glance.

"I know we will bro. Just you and me, remember? That's how it's always been and how it's gonna stay."

Quatre smiled as they drove along staring at that same line of trees.

"What are those tree's called? D'you know?"

"Uh, nope. Sorry. Where did that question come from?"

Quatre bit his lip and shrugged, "I don't know...I just never asked before."

The trees ended and they began their one mile drive downtown to the school and Quatre looked at the clock, 7:30am. They were going to be really early today - something that rarely ever happened.

"Duo, do you even know how to drive this thing?"

Duo chuckled. "Nope, never driven a limo in my life but I'm sure it's the same principle, just longer with more blind spots."

Quatre sat back as they enjoyed the rest of the ride in silence. Usually Duo would have music blaring so loud it would make his ears hurt, but not today. They passed bikers, pedestrians and other motorists that gave them questionable looks as the black limousine, followed by a lit up police car, passed by. He had heard the hundred year old houses crammed together in the downtown core were full of tunnelling mice and rot, even as the outside looked very pleasing to the eye. Who knew? Quatre had never lived anywhere else but their home since the day he was born.

The Commons came into sight as well as the citadel, it's giant masts like a beacon atop the hill. Maybe the kids at school would leave him alone now- maybe they would think he was grieving and had enough stress that they need not cause more.

He could only hope.

Duo pulled into the school's parking lot and drove so close to the curb he scrapped the paint on the fender.

"Oops."

His parking consisted of taking up eight individual parking spots, parallel to the curb and he was snickering as he got out. Here there were no reporters that Quatre could see- they obviously thought the two would stay home today.

As Duo locked the limo and they walked side to side up the front steps Quatre glanced back at the police car that parked next to it and wondered, was that one parking ticket, or eight?


	8. Chapter 8

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Eight:

DUO

For the majority of the day Duo had every one of the student's sympathies for his father. So far he had been able to keep away from any reporter mobs- even the ones outside the school were few and far between. The Winner family story must be going cold.

Unfortunately it was still a hot topic at the school. He wouldn't have minded so much if many of them had meant it. If he heard one more 'I'm so sorry for your loss' Duo was going to choke the person that said it. Some, he knew, actually cared. Some, like Dorothy, didn't.

Speak of the devil.

Duo walked down the hall to his last class of the day. When he saw a flash of long blond hair he lengthened out his stride so as to lose her and possibly keep the remainder of his sanity intact.

"Ohh Duo!"

Shit.

He sighed. Dorothy trotted to keep up with him, balancing her books in one hand while snaking a long skinny arm through his.

She was so damned persistent! Honestly, how many rejections will it take for the girl to catch on that he wasn't interested?

"What do you want Dorothy." Duo was not going for polite this time. He was too pissed off about what she did to Quatre to be civil. Honestly, what kind of a lunatic takes a guy's medication? If she was a boy his face would be bashed into a locker and tied up on the soccer field, naked for the whole school to see.

He had a dangerous glint in his eye as he smiled and thought, maybe he should do it anyway.

Her shoulders sagged a little and she at least had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Hey look, about yesterday, I was just playing around with him - that's all. We kid around, me and Quatre."

Duo yanked his arm away, scattering her books to the floor. She backed away from him, startled.

When he spoke Duo's voice was low and menacing

"Dorothy I am going to tell you this once and only once. If you touch my brother or his belongings ever again, I will pay a girl to kick the shit out of you. Trust me, I can find some homeless chick I used to know and maybe even a couple of 'em. Then I'll dye your hair black and cut it all off and let everyone in this school know how dark and ugly you really are."

Dorothy stood in the hall, surrounded by gawking classmates, her books scattered at her feet.

"Y-you can't talk to me like that..."

Duo took a step closer, backing her up to the row of uniform grey lockers.

He said softly and under his breath, "What's the matter Dorothy? Not used to being bullied? How's it feel?"

"Stop it Duo, you're embarrassing me!" Her face was flushed red, embarrassment like a stamp on her cheeks.

"This is your one and only warning Catalonia. Take heed or I will fuck you up, hard."

With that Duo left the quivering mess that was Dorothy leaning up against a locker and proceeded with his trek to his next class. He was more than just angry, he was livid. The girl was a cut throat bully when it came to Quatre and yet she could not take two minutes of being bullied herself.

It would take a lot more than publicly humiliating Dorothy to make Duo feel sorry for her. Honestly the girl probably led a good life - she was well dressed, well fed and well liked at school. If she had issues that led her to being the cold hearted bitch that she was then Duo didn't know of them.

Besides, having issues like that doesn't excuse that type of wild behaviour. Duo lived on the street where he almost resorted to turning tricks and was near frostbitten and starved by the time spring came around. This happened every year for his entire childhood and the only place worse than the street was the orphanage. Sure, they had plenty of warm fireplaces and endless pots of warm soup to go around, but when the lights went out it was like living in a nightmare.

And look at me now.

He was a popular, cheery guy that was liked by all. So in his opinion Dorothy had no excuse for her behaviour.

Duo entered the class, slammed his books on the desk and sunk into his chair. He was so worked up that his body was reverberating with his encounter with Dorothy, so much so he almost missed the announcement that was made ten minutes into the class.

Duo Maxwell-Winner, come to the principal's office, immediately.

Hmm, old Mrs. S. doesn't sound so happy today.

He got up from his desk and abandoned his unopened books. The amount of attention he'd been paying in that class was minute to say the least. Duo gave his classmates a hearty wave and left the class under the hum of "Ohh, he's in trouble now!"

Once in the office the secretary instructed him to take a seat in one of the many hard plastic chairs that lined the wall from her desk to the principal's office.

He threw himself across two of them, dramatically heaving a sigh of remorse.

That is, until the tinted glass door opened and out stepped a red faced, blatting Dorothy.

Oh great, she turned on the waterworks. I'm done for.

Dorothy hastened past him and underneath her tears she smirked at him, a figurative na-na-na-bo-bo. I win and you lose.

She really is a cheeky devil.

"Mr. Maxwell-Winner, step into my office. We need to have a little chat with the way you've been treating my students lately."

As he followed her inside and she closed the door behind them, the click of the door brought to him a sense of foreboding. It was as if that click signified the sound of his freedom coming to a close.

"Sit."

He sat.

"Duo, I have never had to call you into the office before. You have had an impeccable academic and extracurricular report ever since you started here. What in the name of God happened today? I had a student in here crying her eyes out saying you threatened her life."

The principal sat at the edge of her desk, arms crossed, her eyes piercing while she awaited his answer.

"She's a bitch. 'Nough said."

"So you did threaten her?"

"Yeah. I told her if she ever messed with Quatre again I would mess with her. No big deal, all the girl has to do is what she is told."

Her eyebrows shot up.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, really. The girl is bully Mrs. S. If you can't see that she is a manipulative cunt then that's your problem."

"I don't appreciate that tone Duo."

"And I don't appreciate Dorothy stealing my brother's medication when he needs it to live. If she comes near him again, I'll deal with her. It's as simple as that."

"You are not helping your case Duo."

"There is no case. I told you all she needs to do is keep away from my brother. That's it."

"I have five witnesses say you harassed and accosted Mrs. Catalonia in the hallway. Is that true?"

Duo was beginning to see where this was going and was getting even angrier than when he first stepped into the office.

"Look, lady. Do what you gotta do, you obviously have your mind made up already about it, don't you? I'll be at practice if you need me."

With that he slapped his hands on his chair and stood, turning the gold knob and pulling the door open so hard it slammed against the wall.

He winced. He hadn't meant to pull that hard.

He could only imagine what kind of punishment was coming his way.


	9. Chapter 9

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Nine:

QUATRE

For the majority of the day Quatre tried to avoid the avid stares from the other students. Not one came up to talk to him to express their condolences or otherwise. Even Hilde who would usually give him a small wave and a smile pretended to not see him when he passed by.

After sitting through three classes of overrated public school curriculum and listening to snickers and cruel jokes from the classmates behind him, Quatre decided enough was enough. After the last bell he hid his books in his underused locker that took three tries to open and he snuck off school grounds.

It was not the first time Quatre had succumbed to the stressful environment that was high school and he knew a safe way to leave undetected.

First he needed to get to the basement. There was an unlocked door that opened into a staircase on the first floor that led down to the musty basement. The door was unmarked and most of the student population believed it was just another janitor's closet full of cleaning supplies. They were wrong.

Quatre took the stairs one at a time slowly, hoping that there was no one down there. Sometimes the janitors would come down to smoke undetected by the principal. He could still smell the remnants of old cigarette smoke. He rounded the corner and to the left was an open area chock full of boxes and totes.

For a brand new school they already had an overabundance of junk in the basement. He thought about that; when the city amalgamated the two rival schools they could have packed all of the extra stuff found in both basements of the old schools down here.

He passed by an old box with a torn top and peered inside, pulling out old yellowed paper with music notes .

Just junk.

His curiosity sputtered and died and he gave up rummaging through the dusty boxes and continued on to the hidden exit. It was another unmarked door leading to the outside. In all reality it was a severe security risk to the school but Quatre was reluctant to give up his only secure way out and refused to tell them about it.

Quatre's foot caught the edge of a large trunk and he fell forward onto it.

Oof, really?

His foot smarted and he sat down on the trunk, holding onto his foot and willing the pain to go away. He set his backpack down and decided to see what tripped him up.

Quatre turned around and snapped open the locking levers on the trunk. It was likely full of the same old junk, but his curiosity was back full force.

He threw the lid back and there inside were...

Swords?

They were long and thin and covered in cloth material, the embellished hilts round and large. Quatre pulled one out and held it up in the light, turning it this way and that. He slid his thumb down the edge and found it was still sharp, very sharp. A line of blood appeared in its wake.

He hoped his tetanus shot was still up to date.

What an interesting and random find. The trunk was full of these swords - all were different with no two the same in shape, size or decoration. They were too thick to be fencing swords but too thin for broadswords. Quatre racked his head for what use they would have in a high school even in the last hundred years and came up blank.

He could not see them being used for fencing as they were too dangerous, they were sharp and designed solely for cutting.

Quatre rummaged through each one until he found the one he liked best; a steel sword about two feet in length and two inches wide with blue embellishments on the hilt.

He felt compelled to keep it but couldn't think of a way to get it past the school officials, the police escort or Helen. He decided it was a problem for another time, possibly after the media left them alone.

He regretfully put the sword back in its cloth bag and placed the lid on the trunk securely. He thought about hiding it with other boxes but worried someone might come down and realize another has been sneaking around down there.

Quatre left it as is, shouldered his backpack, and made for his usual daytime haunt; the dockyards.

Running the length of the soccer field he kept out of sight of the main offices and classrooms and made it to the main road headed downtown. Running is a bit of an exaggeration; Quatre jogs slowly, no running involved what with his asthma. That's all he would need - a report saying he was jigging school and was picked up via ambulance for a medical emergency.

As he strolled along the sidewalk Quatre could see feel the ground begin to slope downward. This continued all the way to the waterfront that was lined with a wooden boardwalk designed mostly for the thousands of tourists that come from cruise ships to see the historic city. Today he headed for the dockyard which was further down the boardwalk than the tourists were allowed to go. No one wants to see rusted out old navy ships at the dockyard, except Quatre, of course.

When Quatre finally got to his spot he had crossed four roads, two major intersections and crawled under one fence that read blatantly; NO TRESSPASSING, DND PROPERTY. The military police must never patrol this far from the main gate.

There was a crumbling bridge with paint spots where the city had run out of the same colour paint and this is where Quatre made his perch. Here he could watch all the comings and goings from the harbor as the submarines and navy ships would have to come through here in order to dock or leave the harbour.

When he was little Quatre used to sneak out of his private school to come here, hoping and praying that one of the ships that came in was his mothers'. Unfortunately that happened almost never, what with her being posted out on different ships each year - whichever was deploying next on a continuous basis.

He sighed, leaning back against the cool concrete. It was getting colder every day; a sure sign fall was on its way. Quatre had a lot of things to think about regarding his, and Duo's, immediate futures.

He made a mental list of things to do when he got home.

Most importantly he had to deal with their security issue and could do this by hiring their own security team - possibly Oz Security. He had to get through the rest of the school day before he could handle that issue but he was sure Helen had it well in hand.

Quatre shook off the stress because, well, that's why he was jigging class. He needed to relieve some pent up stress before he burst like a balloon all over the medium to low intelligence kids he spent the majority of his day with.

Unzipping his book bag Quatre pulled out his can of blue spray paint and added to his small collection of graffiti on the bridge column.

What to paint? What to paint? Dorothy's ugly face, perhaps?

Painting Dorothy's face and dotting it with smallpox came to mind but he shook it off with a laugh. He thought of other amusing ideas but one captured his attention and made his heart race.

He could try to paint the mysterious swords he found.

He got to work spraying, making sure he held the paint can evenly out away from the concrete and layering it so it would last. When he was done he was both more calm and happy. It turned out wonderfully.

The two swords, the first he found- the green studded hilt and the one he claimed as his own with the blue embellishments- were crossed in the middle of a sea, both rising up from turbulent waters.

He stood back, admiring his work and couldn't help but wonder what it could look like with more colour. He added 'more paint' to his mental list.

He sat back, avoiding the wet paint, and admired the view again. There was a ship coming in, one with a rust coloured hull and sailors running all over the deck. His heart gave that little tug of hope for the small chance that it could be his mother's ship- for real this time.

Quatre shook his head and ran his hands through his hair, little flecks of paint transferring unnoticed from his forefinger to his blond locks.

That's enough of those thoughts Quatre Winner. You have Duo, you have painting. You can get through all this without a psychiatrist or medication or cutting.

The longer he sat the more he wondered about that. Was he strong enough to deal with a company, a loneliness so strong it tore at his very soul some days, his asthma and an unaccepting student population on his own?

Quatre drew his knees up to his chest and held them there with his arms, paint and backpack forgotten.

Duo was sure he could.

He wasn't so sure.


	10. Chapter 10

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Ten:

DUO

No one talked to Duo in the locker room after school. He was slamming his locker door open and closed while changing into his red soccer uniform, pretending Dorothy's head was inside. He was muttering about evil blonds when his buddies started out for the field and he took a deep breath and calmed himself.

He could take this aggression out on the field.

It did not help that the police car was still parked in front of the school waiting for him. He hadn't seen Quatre in a while but assumed that his brother was chilling out in the library until practice was over. Duo was relieved that the media let go of their little Winner obsession and they finally had some peace and quiet.

The practice was held up a bit because their coach was late and Duo, the team captain, took it upon himself to start anyway.

"Alright guys stretch it out and when you're ready ten laps of the field."

They grumbled but once they started it was a race to see who could finish the laps first. The team consisted of very competitive friends and they used every practice to challenge each other. Duo was by far the best runner and his long legs let him get ahead of everyone else and finished a least two hundred meters before anyone else.

"Jesus, Duo...H'do you run like that, man?" Brad was one of his best friends and was also the assistant captain for the team. His love for the game pumped Duo up for every single time they played.

"I'm just better than you, B. You gotta know that by now!" Duo jumped up onto the bleacher and bent down to pull up his socks.

"Yeah, yeah...that's why you wear that C on your chest."

Duo smirked. Yeah, and he worked damn hard for it too. There was no bad blood between the two about it, Brad had been very reasonable when Duo was named captain last year.

The stragglers finally caught up and Duo shook his head at them.

"You guys need to run more outside of practice or you will never get better. Okay, scrimmage...shirts and skins guys." He clapped his hands together and everyone ran to their places on the field, choosing teams and shucking shirts as they went. Duo always ensured he was on the shirts team- he did not want to explain why his back was so scarred up.

His time on the streets was not kind on his body.

After about thirty minutes of playful scrimmage, three goals and one injury later, the match was interrupted by a shout.

"Winner! Get over here. Now."

Duo stopped mid lunge for the ball and twisted around, searching for whoever was yelling at him. Brad pointed over to the police car that was parked next to the field and Duo sighed, wondering what they could possibly need now.

He jogged the distance of the field and as he got closer he realized the principal was standing next to the cruiser, arms folded and talking heatedly to the officer and someone else he didn't know. He slowed down to a walk...something was off.

Maybe his run in with Dorothy was biting him in the ass sooner than he thought it would.

He stopped walking all together when a white van bearing government plates and decal that stated 'Sheriff's Department' in yellow letters pulled up beside them.

This can't be good.

Options ran through his head like fire in a city; should he run or listen to what they had to say? Maybe he was blowing this completely out of proportion. They probably needed to ask him a question, that's all.

"Winner, I said get over here." His police escort was visibly angry and Duo wondered again what the hell was going on.

"It's Maxwell-Winner, thank you very much. What do you want?"

"Duo, I cannot just let your violent outburst toward one of my star pupils go unpunished. What you said and did to Dorothy was against the law. I have talked to the guidance councilor and he suggests we take action to ensure nothing like this ever happens again. You will spend the night in jail as part of the Scare the Youth program."

She has got to be kidding me.

"You're joking. I'm not going anywhere but home after I'm done on the field. You can't just send me off with the Sheriff's whenever you damn well please!"

"Actually she can. As the principal of a school she can choose people and volunteer their names to the program. Because it is government run and funded you really do have no choice."

"I have already talked to Helen, Duo. She knows you won't be home tonight and the police will continue to look after your brother while you are gone."

"No fucking way. No way." Duo started backing away, his braid flashing behind him as he turned to run. The two men in the van dismounted and the larger one hooked an arm around his neck, forcing him to the ground. Duo spit out grass and curse words so loudly that the sheriff pushed his face back into the ground, effectively silencing him.

"Be gentle with him! He's just a kid."

Too late Mrs. S. You caused this. You and Dorothy. I will get that girl back so help me God.

The other sheriff grabbed steel cuffs and bound his hands behind his back, tightly. They made him stand and the smaller one noticed Duo's soccer team was headed towards them. He nodded towards them and said, "Better get outta here before they get rowdy."

"Agreed."

They half dragged Duo to the back of the van and opened both doors. Inside it was all clean steel and empty, just a hull with two long seats on either sides and two bars jutting out from the walls. They let him clamber in on his own power, his long legs making it impossible to do so gracefully.

"Go all the way to the front."

"My lawers are gonna have a field day with the two of you!" Duo glared as they uncuffed his hands and instead locked his left hand to the wall.

He could see his principal standing at the back of the van and heard the ruckus his friends were causing.

"This is such bullshit!" His wrist was straining in his effort to get free and he kicked the seat opposite him.

The sheriffs chuckled, "Should have kept your threats to yourself then, kid."

They backed out and slammed both doors shut, leaving him in the dark. The amount of natural light coming in through the tinted and barred windows was next to nothing.

He leaned back, knocking his head on the wall.

Shit.

There really was no getting out of this. Duo hadn't felt this trapped since the days of the orphanage when the police would pluck him off the street and drop him off at the front steps. Inside they had rooms about the size of the van he sat in now and they were cold and dark, just like this.

He shivered and closed his eyes, heart beating wildly in his chest.

He could still hear his teammate's angry yells as the van started up and they were on their way. Duo wondered where they were taking him.

The van drove for about fifteen minutes and Duo could hear the two sheriffs talking about the latest baseball game and other inconsequential things. It was as if they did not realize they were screwing up a guy's entire career. Duo's future depended on him having not only a clean academic record but criminal record as well.

The buzz of the radio system he imagined was built into the front dash stopped their mindless chit-chat.

Sheriff 386 respond to Beyer's Lake shopping district for intercept. Local police have escaped fugitive Heero Yuy in custody and are awaiting your arrival. Confirm.

"Sheriff 386 Confirmed."

They whooped and hollered and whipped the van around, violently sending Duo crashing against the front wall of the cargo van.

Apparently this was somehow a major victory for the two men. Duo tried to recall the little bit about an escaped fugitive he'd heard on the news but so much had happened since then he could barely remember the newscast.

Oh right...the two prisoners escaped from a sheriff's van during transport.

That likely shone negative light on their organization and they would probably use this to redeem themselves.

Duo hoped the guy was violent and dangerous and he kicked the sheriff's asses.

The driver sped along and Duo bounced around like a rag doll. There was no way they were following the speed limit and he was pretty sure they drove through a couple school zones as well.

The van slowed and pulled into what he assumed was the parking lot and he was thankful for it. He sat up and leaned forward, trying to get a glimpse out the back window but blue and red lights were all he could see.

The car doors slammed shut. He heard yelling and cursing and a little bit of a scuffle until the doors opened and he was almost blinded by the sun.

Standing there with his hands tied behind his back was a young man not much older than Duo. His hair was messy and his face was just a little dirty. He wore the orange correctional uniform pants but must have ditched the shirt somewhere. He wore a green tank top in its stead.

Duo's heart fluttered in his chest and he could not look away.

The guy's eyes were piercing his, looking up from under his bangs.

The sheriffs' shoved him forward and the prisoner's attention shifted from Duo back to his aggressors. He kicked a leg back and took out the smaller Sheriff's knee, causing him to swear and fall backward.

Three police officers in blue uniforms rushed forward and grabbed him, bundling him up and throwing him on the floor of the van. They pushed him up to the front of the van facing Duo and Duo had to move his legs back onto the seat next to him to keep out of their way.

After much cursing and rough housing and two bloody noses they finally had the guy cuffed with both hands behind his back, feet anchored to the floor.

"Maybe we should take the kid out?"

The larger sheriff that had taken Duo down chuckled and said, "Nah, he's got to learn sometime."

"But he could really hurt him..."

The sheriff smirked at Duo as he jumped down and shut the door. He could hear the officers laughing at them and saying, "You better not let him get away this time, boys."

"Yeah yeah. We got this."

They started up again and Duo was left in the dark wondering what the hell this guy did to get this level of security and foul treatment.

Was he a murderer? A rapist?

There were strands of sunlight that made its way through the window and fell across Heero's face. Duo could see his eyes, piercing his, and he made himself stare back. This guy was intimidating but Duo was never the type to back down.

"The hell are you looking at?"

Heero slammed his body forward as far as the chains could reach making Duo lean as far back into the wall as he could.

Okay, so talking to him was a bad idea.

Heero chuckled as he leaned back and Duo chided himself for being such a coward. He took a deep breath to calm himself and took a moment to look at his new buddy.

"So what'd you do to get in here?"

Silence.

"Yo, Heero. I'm talking to you."

At hearing his name Heero pursed his lips. He was concentrating on something.

"It couldn't have been that bad. What'd you do, kill a bunch of babies or something?"

He was making the guy angrier and Duo knew he should shut up but he was angry. He was angry at the police, the sheriffs, his adoptive father and his school and the only outlet he had was this teenager sitting in front of him.

In hindsight it was a terrible idea.

"'Ro...I asked you a question."

Heero looked like he was concentrating on something and Duo peered at him in the darkness.

Oh shit, oh shit. He's got a hand free!

As Heero sat he worked on his bonds and Duo realized that he was a sitting duck in this van if that guy got another hand free.

Heero's whole body radiated danger.

Heero held both hands out in front of him, the light reflecting off of them as he smiled at Duo. When he finally spoke his head was bent and he was focused on picking the locks at his feet.

"I'm a killer." Heero's voice was raspy and deep as if it were underused.

Duo's body flushed cold with fear as he stared at the most dangerous man he'd ever met. It was like being locked into a lion's cage and he was dinner.

The way Heero was looking at him made it even more frightening. Duo started banging on the front wall and yelled for help but Heero grasped his mouth, covering it with his hand.

"Shhh."

Heero was pressed against him, holding him down on the bench seat, cuff holding him against the wall.

He was royally fucked.


	11. Chapter 11

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Eleven:

(Sorry snowdragonct)

QUATRE

Quatre spent the majority of the afternoon watching the ships come and go while wallowing in his own self pity. He spray painted the undercoating of the bridge for no reason until he talked himself into going back to class.

He really only had one more class but his fragile sensibilities could not handle it. He'd rather freeze under a rusted out old bridge than go back to school and face those bumbling fools. He dragged his feet and walked with his head down hoping no one on the street would recognize him from the papers.

Quatre perked up when he remembered his amazing find in the school's basement. Those swords provided him with a much needed distraction from life. He thought seriously about attempting to sneak one home that night but how could he do it without getting caught?

Quatre crested the hill out of breath from the long walk and spotted the brick walls of his high school. There was a fair on the Commons this week and he made a mental note to make time to go. Quatre had a secret love for carnivals. He checked his watch; it was 2:45, only one class until he could find Duo and go the hell home.

Oh wait, Duo has practice tonight.

He rolled his eyes- only Duo would put soccer above his own security. Oh well, he could lock himself in the library with his new toy while he waited.

Quatre had propped open the door to the basement so he was easily able to sneak back inside, undetected. He could not resist the temptation as he walked past and reopened the trunk. He reached inside and took out the blue sword, covering it tightly in its cloth cover and shoved it inside his bookbag. He zipped it up as much as he could so only the end was sticking out.

With any luck no one would realize what it was.

His lecture was boring and he learned a whole lot of nothing and when the bell rang he knew Duo would already be on his way to the field. If he was smart Duo would know where to find him when he was done.

Quatre had tried out for the soccer team when he was a kid back in private school. When the coach realized that two laps of the field could send Quatre to the emergency room that was the end of his sports career.

Oh well, he hadn't liked it anyway. Or so he told himself.

The library was empty at this time of day and even the librarian herself had long since left for home. This was Quatre's other sanctuary. The library was large enough there were nooks and crannies where they stuffed bean bag chairs and loveseats. Students could come here and get lost for an hour in the rows and no one would know they were there.

Sometimes Quatre would come here and claim the corner nook with the loveseat that faced the window. It was pushed right up against the glass so you had to jump over the back of it to sit down. It was private and also had a great view of the citadel and Commons.

Quatre strained his head to the left to see the soccer field but it was around the corner and he could only see the goalie net.

He leaned back on the sofa and rested his legs on the end. Usually he got lost in a fantasy world in some novel but today he had something new to keep himself entertained. He unzipped his backpack and pulled out the sword.

His imagination was running wild as he tried to figure out what in the world it was doing in the basement of their school. He unwrapped it and studied the blade closely- looking for a seal or a brand. Someone had made it and if he could figure out whom it would be smooth sailing from there.

He sighed, dejected, it really could just be a costume prop.

He leaned back, exhausted from the last few days, and fell into a shallow sleep. He dreamt of a plane and stormy water and when he awoke his heart was beating loudly in his chest.

Quatre sat up and wondered how much time had passed. Looking out the window he could see rush hour traffic still backed up with people trying to leave the city at the same time. He couldn't have slept for too long then.

He glanced down at his wristwatch that read 5:01 and ran a hand down his sleepy face. He stretched his limbs like a cat and yawned.

Duo will be coming for me soon.

He craned his head to look out the window again and saw the police cruiser parked in the same spot. He started to pack his things when everything went dark. The usually harsh overhead lights flickered and went out and Quatre sat bathed in sunlight from the window. Only the sunlight was different somehow.

Something was very wrong.

Quatre kneeled up on the couch and looked down on the city from his perch. Traffic had stopped, people were jumping out of their vehicles swearing and yelling, their arms waving wildly at each other. He was sure he'd seen more than one fist fight break out.

What the hell is going on?

Quatre's eyes widened as he took in the sight below him. There were people dressed in wild clothing- some were roaming the grassy side of the citadel and others were on the Commons. The women wore glittery, colourful gowns and they looked scared, panicked even. They were being herded together in a group on the Commons by men dressed in forest green uniforms.

He watched as his police escort walked slowly across the road to the group, one hand stretched out towards them and one hand on his gun. Quatre could see that he was trying to talk to a woman in a scarlet jacket that was giving orders to the men in green.

The woman was eyeing him warily- watching his every move. When the officer drew too close the uniformed men ran at him. Quatre winced as the officer pulled his gun and then stared at it in wonder.

Perhaps it was broken.

It seemed like everything else was.

The men in uniforms took him down and Quatre was sure there was no surviving their onslaught. They were cruel in their attack and Quatre gaped at the scene that played out before him.

People were running around, abandoning their vehicles and scattering. As far as he could tell the women in the glittery gowns had nothing to worry about- their protectors were vile and mean and damn good at their jobs.

Where did they come from?

He watched as women and children were taken down by these men under the woman in red's direction. Quatre was less inclined to leave his little nook with every passing moment.

Even the sun was different. Just minutes before it had been a nice sunny day with people enjoying the fall weather but now the trees and grass were a muted blue. It was like someone edited the world to their liking and blocked the light from the sun.

The atmosphere felt warmer than it had before and Quatre tried to catch his breath. He was starting to really panic. These things, these people, whoever they were, were killing everyone in sight.

I have to get out of here...

Where was Duo?

Duo...he was in trouble! What if these people got to him as well? If they could take out an armed police officer then Duo was screwed no matter how athletic and street smart he was.

He glanced down and tried to find his brother but it was useless. The mass panic in the streets made it impossible to tell if his brother was down there. He spotted more of the red coated men and women and saw more than a few were armed with swords.

He glanced down at the sword he hadn't realized he gripped too tightly in his sweaty palm. He pursed his lips and gathered up the courage to go down there to save his brother.

As he worked up that courage a solitary man in a red jacket looked up from the Commons and stared right through the window at Quatre. In the midst of such motion and panic this man was so still he almost looked like a statue. His brown hair made it impossible to make out his eyes but he was tall and dark and dangerous.

Quatre stared right back until the man started toward the school, his long legs taking the distance in just a few strides. Quatre backed away from the window and fell over the back of the couch to the floor.

The man was coming for him- Quatre knew it deep down to his very soul.


	12. Chapter 12

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Twelve:

DUO

This. It was this feeling he'd never felt before. Even with all those years spent starving and scrounging on the streets Duo had never felt this helpless. This powerless.

The criminal above him had the upper hand-he was hard, agile and his body held a strength that Duo had no hope to match. Heero pressed his body down into the soft bench and held Duo's free arm by the wrist above his head. Duo's braid was flopped over the seat and dragged on the dirty floor. Everywhere they touched was on fire.

Duo's cuffed wrist was still bound tightly to the wall and he wished he could remember how to pick locks. He used to be a pro at it until life with the Winners made him soft. He cursed his bad luck…six years ago he wouldn't have been stupid enough to make these mistakes. Letting himself get locked in a van with a criminal was right up there with the time he got caught stealing bread from a shop downtown. It had been his first one way ticket to the orphanage.

Duo eyed Heero warily and grimaced-but the guy was strong. Duo wondered if he was a psychopath and just killed for kicks or if he was methodic about it and needed a good reason. Duo was determined not to give him one.

Heero's face was close to his-so close Duo could see a tiny scar on his chin that zig zagged this way and that. His lips were full and red and his eyes made Duo blush and blink away. He hoped his skin didn't match the soccer uniform he wore.

What the hell am I embarrassed for? He's the one on top of me!

The gentle sway of the van created more friction between them than Duo would have liked.

Heero peered down at him intently-unmoving. The guy was like a statue or something and when he spoke it shook Duo and his body jerked involuntarily.

"You are going to help me get out of here."

Duo scoffed, "Uh, it doesn't look like you need anyone's help for that. You seem like you got it covered."

"Everyone can use a partner."

"Yeah well, I'm not volunteering for the job. So get off me."

Heero smirked at that, "I'm going to let you sit up now okay? Make a sound and I'll throw you out the back of this moving van."

Duo nodded. He believed him.

Heero let go of the death grip on Duo's wrist and stood up beside the bench watching Duo as he sat up, rubbing his bruised extremities.

Okay, so this is progress.

The van kept moving at the same pace but lacked any sort of deceleration so Duo could only assume they were on a highway on their way to the jail. He wondered if they would be cell mates too.

As Heero played with the cuff on his wrist Duo took the time to really study him.

His features were almost Asian but his bright blue eyes suggested otherwise. He played all of the different scenarios in his mind that ended with him sitting here with escaped con Heero Yuy.

He sighed and remembered how just two days ago his only worry was soccer and being scouted for a decent university team. And Quatre…he always worried about Quatre. The last place Duo needed to be was a in a provincial prison while his brother was having the worst week of his life.

"There."

Heero dropped the handcuffs with a loud cling to the floor and pushed Duo so he sat in the uppermost corner away from him and took the seat opposite near the door.

"Gee, thanks," Duo drawled and rolled his eyes.

"You know, I could get into a lot of shit if I help you escape."

"You are coming with me so no need to worry about getting into trouble." Heero looked out the window at the scenery and Duo imagined him jumping out and making some dramatic escape you see on television.

Duo raised his eyebrows and laughed.

"Not a chance."

"Not optional."

Man, people were saying that to him an awful lot lately and it was starting to piss him off. The principal and his police escort mentioned those same words before he started this little trip.

"Fuck you, who do you think you are?" Duo shuffled forward down the bench and Heero caught the movement from the corner of his eye.

Heero turned that stotic glare and snarled, "I'm Heero Yuy, the media calls me a cold hearted killer and who are you? Just some rich kid that never had to fight for anything in his life?"

Duo glowered at him and said, "My name is Duo Maxwell-Winner and for your information I fought for everything I had for the first nine years of my life. You don't know shit about me."

Heero couldn't help the laugh that rose in his throat, "Then prove it. Today you fight and you fight with me."

The van slowed down and Heero threw himself on the floor and kicked at the back door. After ten or so good solid kicks with those athletic legs the latch came loose. It echoed so loudly that Duo had to cover his ears with his hands. They must have been on an off ramp because the van was rolling to a stop.

Duo could hear shouts from the main compartment- the sheriffs heard the commotion and were coming to stop him. He remembered the handguns they carried on their belts and the shotgun hanging on the rack on the inside of the cab. They could blow Heero away without a thought.

"Wait Heero...they'll shoot you!"

Heero smiled back over his shoulder before he threw open the door. Sunlight blinded Duo but he could still make out the pavement that was still rolling underneath them. The vehicle had yet to come to a stop.

Heero disappeared and Duo searched for him but the sun was blinding and the van was still moving. He pictured Heero lifeless on the pavement, covered in road rash and dirt, and his chest hurt at the thought.

It was only then did shit hit the proverbial fan.

Duo lurched to the left as everything went quiet. The motor shut off but they were still rolling. The van started to tip and Duo screamed as it rolled down an embankment.

His body smacked into the wall, hard, and everything went black.


	13. Chapter 13

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Thirteen:

QUATRE

Quatre took the stairs two at a time and stumbled down the last three steps. He steadied himself on the railing and thought about chucking his backpack away. He thought better of it and continued down the dark staircase to the first floor. You never knew when you would need it later.

In the back of his mind Quatre realized he was getting closer to the strange man with every step but he was determined to save his brother.

Think, Quatre. How to get outside without getting caught?

He shook his head and chided his stupidity. Of course this guy would be less likely to know of the basement exit than the teachers and so far it had worked for Quatre every time.

This was his only chance of getting out of the building alive.

Quatre tried to be silent as he opened the door to the hallway and peeked outside. It was empty and the door to the basement was just visible about twenty-five feet away from where he stood.

If he could reach it he was sure he could make it outside and onto the field before he was found by the mysterious man in red.

Quatre pursed his lips together and checked one more time this way and that before he took a deep breath and stepped into the hall. He felt vulnerable like never before now that he knew he was being hunted.

He didn't take another breath until he'd made it past the door and listened intently for sounds of footsteps. Satisfied he was not being followed Quatre descended the steps, stopped by the trunk and made a rash decision to stuff another sword into his book bag.

Luckily the basement exit was down an incline so only the very top of the door was visible to those outside. Regardless, he opened it slowly and laid down on his belly to crawl to the top of the grassy knoll.

The grass was tinted blue and beside the pretty annuals the gardeners had planted grew some strange looking flowers. They were silver and grew straight up with no bends in the stems and a round silver ball on top. The world was changing. He looked up and almost expected to not see the sun but it was still there. All of the orange and yellow hues were gone but it was still there. That alone was comforting.

This is no time to stop and smell the roses. I must save Duo.

Peeking over the top Quatre searched the scene before him.

He gasped in dismay. Bodies lined the pavement and there was a woman who lay still, her cheek pressed against the yellow center line. The sidewalks beside the citadel were loaded with teenagers all bound and guarded by soldiers.

Worse still the body of a child lay slumped between two cars, an oversized book bag clutched in his hand. He looked like a pre-schooler just getting home from daycare.

Quatre couldn't breathe. He gasped for air but the spasms had already started forcing him into shallow, quick breaths. His face felt hot and he abandoned the sword for his bag. He swung it off his shoulder, painfully aware he was being hunted, and searched blindly for his puffer.

He put it past his lips and pressed the button, inhaling deeply and holding his breath as much as he physically could while sputtering.

It was not immediate relief but just the knowledge that the medication was in his system helped calm him down.

Quatre waited a moment longer before he crawled out further and started for the soccer field.

What he saw chilled him to his very bones.

A pile of bodies in red soccer uniforms were huddled in the middle of the field. The red of the uniforms were muted by the strange light that coated everything else as well.

Duo...my poor brother...

Hot tears cascaded down his cheeks and he could not suppress the sob that escaped his lips. His cheeks were flushed and hot and his lips burned with the salty taste of tears.

Quatre could not escape the terror that gripped his body. He would always see those limp and lifeless bodies of the team- it was imprinted forever in his mind.

He was tempted to get closer just to make sure Duo was there. There was a chance he escaped.

Oh, who was he kidding? Everyone was dead and he didn't even know on how large a scale. Was this happening in Europe? Africa? Or was Halifax the only place that was getting ravaged by these people?

Quatre focused all of his attention on the woman closest to him. He recognized her from when he watched from the window on the second floor library. She had given the men in green these orders to kill.

Quatre bit his lip, tasted blood, and shuffled onto his knees.

He was going to take this bitch down.

As Quatre crawled forward a man in green brought a struggling girl no more than sixteen to her bare knees in front of the woman.

He was silent and they were preoccupied with the sniffling, crying girl.

"What would you have us do, Catherine? She fits the profile for the Dasha."

"Very well. It was unfortunate this lot struggled as they did. They also fit the profile- in both age and physical conditioning," Catherine mused and waved a hand nonchalantly at the bodies on the field.

"Yes ma'am." He bowed quickly and took the girl away and Quatre crept closer and closer until he felt there was no way he wasn't going to get to this 'Catherine' before he was seen. In his right hand he gripped the sword and became painfully aware of his inability to wield it.

This woman led these people into battle- killing hundreds of innocent citizens. She must be punished.

Quatre raised the blade as Catherine turned toward him. All he could see was Duo's cherub face, hear his laugh and he felt no remorse.

He slashed downward and she crumpled to her knees, screaming. Blood was streaming from between her fingers as they clutched her face. Her grey eyes looked up at him in fear.

Quatre backed away and looked down at his bloody sword. Her screams woke him from his treacherous, murderous thoughts and he mumbled, "Oh, I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."

He saw the men in green uniforms running across the field and knew he had to run too or he was as good as dead.

With one last mournful look over his shoulder at the bodies on the field, Quatre sobbed and ran. He ran faster than he ever had before and knew he would pay for it soon.

As he passed the main entrance to the school the same man who had followed him into the school stood on the landing. He wore the same red jacket as Catherine and the colour made Quatre cringe. His face was still- it held no smile, no expression at all. It was his eyes that conveyed everything- they were like grey pools of murky water.

Green coated men shouted and the panic in their voices made Trowa look from them to Quatre.

"Trowa, Trowa! Come, it's your sister..."

Trowa looked back and forth between Catherine and Quatre and Quatre knew he was making a choice. Let him go or save his sister?

The man gave Quatre a scathing look as he ran down the steps, his long legs getting him to Catherine's side in mere seconds.

Quatre concentrated on his breathing, muttering as he went.

"In and out...slowly...No one is following..."

Quatre snuck a quick peek at the commotion and found that he was right. No one was paying any attention to him...everyone was focused on Catherine.

Except those grey eyes that followed his every step.

Trowa didn't say anything but Quatre knew this wasn't over between them. He tucked his head down and ran down to the water...he knew of a great place to hide.

And if the look Trowa gave him was anything to go by, he was going to need it.


	14. Chapter 14

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Fourteen:

DUO

Duo groaned and opened his eyes. He was laying on the roof of the van, his cheek resting on the cold steel.

Holy shit, they wrecked the van.

Duo was disoriented and his vision was a little blurry. He must have hit his head in the rollover because it ached and his right arm throbbed as well.

He sat up slowly and took in his surroundings. One of the doors was open and bent from the impact and the sunlight that fell through the opening was blue.

Duo blinked.

"Must be something wrong with my head...now I'm seeing things," he muttered to himself.

He ran his hands over his head and they came back sticky with blood. There was a gash on his forehead and his elbow hurt but he considered himself lucky. The rollover could have easily broken his neck.

He slid down to the opening and crawled out onto the blue grass and laid his head down, exhausted.

Blue grass...what the hell?

He must have hit his head harder than he thought.

He recalled some emergency medical show where the doctors talked about intercerebral pressure and how the brain can swell after a traumatic incident.

This definitely counted as traumatic.

When his lawyers were through with these lunatics they would be lucky to work at Tim Hortons.

Even with the incompetence shown by the Sheriff's Duo could not just sit idle as they suffered. He assumed they were both in the front cab of the van and made himself stand up.

He was dizzy and disoriented but he could walk. Duo made his way around the van, clutching the side of it as he went.

The Sheriff was lying on his back arms limp at his sides and Heero leaned over him, knife in hand. The scabbard that was attached to the sheriff's belt was empty and his pistol lay discarded on the grass.

There was blood dripping from the knife.

"Heero...what have you done?"

Heero looked up from the body and growled, "You think I killed him, don't you?"

Duo started slowly backing away, each pace getting larger and larger as he went.

"What else am I supposed to think? I come out and you're standing over a dead body with a bloody freaking knife!"

"You are overreacting."

Like hell he was.

"Where is the other guy?"

Heero stood up from his crouch and nodded toward the passenger side of the van.

Duo walked along the back of the van and peeked around the corner. The smaller Sheriff's body was laying half in and half out of the side window. He was obviously dead as well.

"Why did you do it, Heero? You like freedom that much you would kill for it?"

Duo was close to hyperventilating...he'd gone from seeing zero dead bodies since his time with the Winners to seeing two in the same amount of minutes. What about their families? Did they have kids? Would they be missed?

Duo hadn't realized Heero followed him around the back of the van and his voice startled him. "Calm down, would you. The rollover killed them, not me."

The braided man turned and gave him a sceptical look.

"Your bloody hands say otherwise."

"I refuse to argue with you. Nothing I could say is going to make you believe me. Am I right?"

"Yeah, and that knife in your hand isn't helping either."

Heero chucked the knife into the tall grass and held his hands out in a peaceful gesture but Duo wasn't stupid. Duo knew Heero's hands were just as lethal without a weapon. He was damned sure they both knew it. He remembered the feel of Heero's body on his; strong and wiry. Rough hands that have felt a knife handle, a pistol grip and Duo's own soft hands.

Duo shook his head and looked up and saw that they were down off the road about three meters deep in an embankment. The tree line was close by and Duo was thankful they didn't make it that far.

"Why in the hell isn't there a guard rail here?"

"Cut backs, perhaps?"

Duo scoffed, "Cutting back on safety is a bit redundant, don't ya think?"

"Agreed."

They stood in silence for a moment until Duo sighed and asked, "So what do we do now?"

"Well, I am leaving. You can radio in for help if you want."

"You're just going to go?"

"I'm a fugitive- there is no reason for me to stay and get picked up by the next round of Sheriff's they fire at me."

The last thing Duo wanted was to be alone out there with two dead bodies and a head injury.

"Uh, I think I hit my head...it's like I'm colour blind or something.

"It's not just you. I see it too. I'm not sure what is happening...first the van rolled over for no reason that I could see and now this. I think the van shut off before it crashed."

"What do you mean, it shut off? Like it ran out of gas?"

"No, I mean the engine itself stopped running and it was as if the driver lost all power steering and drove over the embankment."

"Why would it just shut off like that?"

Heero shrugged.

"The hell with this, I'm calling for help," Duo reached across the lifeless body and grabbed the microphone, pulling the cord as far out the window as it could reach.

"Hello, is anyone there?" He looked inside at the mounted radio and asked, "Does the van have to be on for it to work?"

"It shouldn't. Radio's work under their own power source."

"Hello, helllloooo, anyone there? We need help..."

Duo threw it back inside the van with disgust, "The damned thing is broken."

"Looks like we're walking."

"Shouldn't we stay here until someone comes?"

Heero started climbing up the hill resorting to using both his hands and feet it was that steep a slope.

"Be my guest."

Duo took one look behind him at the Sheriff's bodies and shivered. If there was anything worse than hitch hiking with a killer like Heero it was standing in a ditch alone with dead bodies.

"Hey, 'Ro...wait up."

It took him a little longer to clamber up, his long limbs getting in the way and his elbow hurt like a bitch.

They stood on the highway and looked left to right. There was no traffic and it was eerily quiet. Heero stood, listening, and said, "We'd best stick together. This world is changing- just look around. No traffic, no power in the van, it's like that power outage we had."

"You mean the one that took down the planes?"

Heero nodded, "Yes, it is similar isn't it? It would explain the van turning off and crashing and the lack of traffic."

"My dad's plane went down then. Well, my adoptive dad...don't really consider him one."

Heero stared at him and asked, "What is your name?"

"Duo Maxwell-Winner."

"Ah, I heard about you. Your brother was supposed to be the prodigal son but he's lacking in all the right places, am I right? Isn't that why they adopted you?"

"You shut the fuck up. You don't know anything about Quatre. He's my best friend and he doesn't have one unkind bone in his entire body. Unlike you. I wonder what your parents think of their son- a convicted killer. Guess you were lacking as well."

Heero's eyes narrowed and he stepped closer to Duo.

"Watch yourself, Duo. No one is going to save you out here. It's just you and me."

Heero was so close Duo could feel the heat radiating from his body. He was still angry but the cold look in Heero's eyes compelled him to shut his overbearing mouth.

He couldn't die out here...he needed to get back to Quatre.

He cleared his throat and looked down at the pavement as Heero looked on, satisfied his point had gotten across.

What if the power turns off for good this time? It was likely worse in the city. People go crazy when the power goes out.

"Where do you think we are? I need to get home to Quatre."

"They were taking us to the jail outside the city. I'd say we are no where near your home right now."

Great, just fantastic. I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with a psychopath, two dead bodies and zero transportation.

Heero starting walking off in the direction they had came.

"What are you doing?"

"Walking."

"You're going to walk all the way back to the city?"

"Do you have a better suggestion?"

Duo cursed and ran to catch up with him. Heero was shorter than he was but he was dressed for a long trek in sneakers while Duo still wore his cleats. He was going to get blisters.

He took to walking in the dirt on the side of the road while Heero walked dead center and neither spoke for a long time. Duo was getting sweaty...the temperature was too hot for a fall day.

After about an hour of pure monotonous walking Heero stopped short and threw an arm out in front of him and pointed.

"What the hell is that?"


	15. Chapter 15

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Fifteen:

QUATRE

The city was quiet now that the initial panic was over. Quatre spent the evening moving slowly from one building to another, sometimes crawling through second floor windows just to avoid the streets. Men in green uniforms patrolled in groups of eight and he felt lucky to have survived this long on his own. The people he believed were in charge, the ones in red, were few and far between. They were likely staging somewhere, giving orders and taking more prisoners like that poor girl.

Quatre cursed himself-his inability to kill that woman likely resulted in a terrible fate for not only that girl but the others that were taken prisoner as well. He could only hope Catherine was so far injured it removed her completely from battle.

Currently, Quatre was huddled in a hallway of someone's apartment. He hadn't seen a human being in hours and it was getting dark. He needed to get to his hiding place soon or he was going to get caught by a patrol.

His legs were tired-he wasn't used to running of any sort and he was feeling the repercussions of that. Quatre crawled to the window and pulled himself up with his arms. It was dusk and Quatre found he was further along on this journey than he'd thought.

His goal was to stay near the water until the end of the Bedford Basin. To do this he needed to go house to house until the highway and then follow the bit of tree line on the other side. Crossing that highway was going to be a huge obstacle but Quatre couldn't worry about that now. He just needed to get to the civilian shipyard, the one that offloaded the large container ships that came into port every day. There he could cross, follow the tree line, and get to his destination; the rotunda.

Quatre had seen neither hide nor hair of Trowa, the dark and mysterious man in red, and he was grateful. After what he did to Trowa's sister he would surely be passed over for selection to the Dasha-whatever the heck that is- and be killed on sight.

He was only one house away from the fence gate and saw that the gap between houses was too big to shuffle through. He would need to leave the house and walk to the gate with no camouflage and no cover in order to make it to the rotunda.

He stood up in the room and turned to leave, stubbing his toe on the crib that was shoved up against the wall.

The pain in his toe was nothing compared to the pain in his heart when he wondered where the baby was. His mind flashed back to the little boy in the street who had been struck down and knew without a doubt this baby was also dead.

I should find one of those sections of troops and turn myself in to them. Do I really want to live in a world like this?

Quatre shook his head and left the depressing nursery- his mind was made up to just walk straight to the gate and cross the highway. If he was seen, so be it.

His brother was dead-he and his team mates bodies were strewn all over the field they'd loved so much. His father was dead and who knew where his mother was. She was likely stranded, along with the rest of the crew, floating on their battleship in the middle of some ocean.

Quatre was truly alone for the first time in his life. He didn't believe he could survive alone for very long what with his disability and lack of medication. Once it was gone there was no getting more.

Quatre went down the stairs in the cramped apartment building and opened the front door. The darkness hid his body somewhat but his hair likely stood out like a sore thumb. The moonlight was also different-the normal white light was tinged blue like a harvest moon. Quatre almost expected the moon to be absent but when he looked up it was there, shining like all was right in the world.

But it wasn't.

Quatre started down the empty street and the gate was in sight but still about two hundred meters from him. He didn't realize that in the back of his mind he hoped to get caught by those soldiers. They could kill him now or take him away and kill him later. He didn't care.

If his brother was dead Quatre wanted to be dead as well. He had nothing to live for anymore.

The street was quiet and Quatre stepped off the sidewalk and onto the main street. He walked down the center of it and looked right at the gate. So far he had seen six or seven patrols of soldiers rounding up human stragglers. With any lucky they would find him as well.

He crossed the distance at a slow pace-eyeing the surrounding darkness.

Where were our soldiers?

Since this invasion had started he had yet to see any of their own military. Wasn't their job to protect civilians when things like this happened? With the power out it was likely they had no means to mobilize or communicate. The navy would be useless and so would the air force-their planes were grounded forever.

Quatre got to the gate and he huffed, disappointed. What was the likelihood of not being accosted by a patrol when he walked right out in the open like that? He continued on through the open gate and darted through the towering containers. A ship rested against the dock only half unloaded-they must have abandoned it half way through when everything started going to shit.

Quatre made it to the highway; the four lanes were full of abandoned vehicles travelling outbound. He decided to take the highway instead of the tree line-his courage fueled only by his willingness to die.

Some vehicles had their doors wide open and others looked like they could have been parked in a parking lot. He saw at least two wrecked cars and one transport that left the road and smashed into an Audi dealership. An entire line of silver cars were crushed under the weight and velocity of the eighteen-wheeler.

He made it to the top of the hill and could almost see the rotunda a kilometer down the road. If he could make it there he would be safe until morning.

Quatre turned around and took his last look at the devastation of the downtown core. He had never seen the city with no streetlights and it was a somber sight.

He wondered vaguely if they would be humane enough to bury Duo's body or if it would just be left on the field to decompose. Tears fell down his cheeks as Quatre knew in his heart that he would never see his brother again.

He kicked at the tire on a black jeep and cursed, throwing his arms on top of the hood and laying his head down.

I don't want to be here anymore.

He stood and looked back at the city and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Trowa! I know you're coming for me. Hurry up or I'll do it myself!"

He sobbed for a moment, pulled himself together, and backed away from the city.

As Quatre continued on his journey to the rotunda he didn't see a stoic man in a red jacket standing on the balcony of a million dollar home- watching his break down. The home overlooked the Bedford Highway and was directly above where Quatre stood next to the jeep. The man was leaning over the railing looking at the small teenager below, his sword resting on his hip.

Quatre would find out how meaningless this announcement was but not just yet.


	16. Chapter 16

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Sixteen:

DUO

Heero shoved Duo to the left- his goal was to dive into the forest under cover of the canopy of trees. He hadn't expected to be rushed by people in uniform so soon on their walk back to the city. His first thought was police but now he was not so sure.

"We should get off the highway..."

Duo shaded his eyes and said, "It's too late, bro. They already saw us."

Heero stopped and looked, cursing when he saw the figures running toward them. They were getting closer by the second. He tried to formulate a plan in his head to defend them but they approached too quickly and were sitting ducks on the open highway. He grabbed Duo's hand tightly.

When they were near enough and Duo could make out their features he realized something was off. There were four of them- all dressed in blue uniforms. Their ears were too pointy, as were their facial features, and all of them were beautiful. Almost otherworldly so. The warmth of Heero's hand, enveloping his own, was distracting and he could not afford that right now. Duo could not make himself pull away.

The men had equally long hair as the women and Duo felt he fit right in with this group.

Heero nudged him, "Look at their weapons, Duo."

The women were armed with daggers at their hip and Duo saw at least one bow hanging off a shoulder; a quiver of arrows on his back.

They were surrounded, unarmed, and completely oblivious as to who these people were.

Duo decided on a diplomatic approach- no need to anger these heavily armed folks, right? Heero kept quiet and glared his death glare he reserved for Sheriffs and correctional officers.

As they were surrounded Duo waved and said, "Hey guys...uh...How's it hanging?

Heero shot him a disapproving look and Duo started back tracking.

"I mean, hello, I'm Duo. I don't mean to be rude or anything but...what the hell are you?"

One of the females spoke sharply, "Elves, you ill educated trollup." Duo got the feeling these were not good people. The stance they took was malicious, the sharp ends of weapons pointed their way.

Duo almost laughed out loud but he tried to compose himself.

"Elves, really? Is that the best you can come up with?"

The woman was angry, it was written all over her face. Her green eyes shrunk into slits and the snarl on her face made him take a step back.

Duo got the feeling that if they didn't play this right they could very well die here on this abandoned highway.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry...Where did you guys come from?"

He had a nagging suspicion the crazies from the local mental institution escaped on theater day.

She sneered, "We come from Enniskillin way- to kill all of you."

"Enniskillin? I've never heard of it...have you 'Ro?"

Heero shook his head. Duo was done playing these games- if they wanted them dead they'd have killed them already.

The man with the bow spoke to her, "Lyra, they fit the Dasha protocol. We are under orders from the Fey to bring them all back to the city." He spoke quietly and seemed afraid to anger her.

No wonder, the woman had anger management problems.

"Fine," her tone was curt and she was obviously displeased, "bind them and return to the city. I will continue on scouting for Ellershouse teams. We should kill them and continue on with our mission. This is a waste of time!" She kicked at a pebble on the road and sulked about it.

Duo and Heero's hands were separated violently and Duo felt a pang at the loss of contact.

"I'd rather you didn't really." Duo smiled at her as the man bound his hands with twine- it was rough and tight and stung a little where it bit into the skin.

Heero was silently fuming beside him and Duo reverently hoped his criminal companion wouldn't try anything stupid. They were outnumbered and out gunned. Their best bet for survival would be to lay low and do as the crazy people said.

Duo was ready to get back to the city- he was anxious to find his brother. If these crazy people were all the way out here in the middle of nowhere they were likely in the city as well. He had to make sure Quatre was safe.

A flash of grey came from the wood line and a bloodcurdling scream escaped from Lyra's lips. Duo instinctively dove to the ground and felt Heero's hard body next to his.

"Look no further, Enniskillin scum, for we have found you instead."

Duo peeked out from between his fingers at Lyra who had weapons in hand and was facing two opponents. The female had short blue hair and the length of the male's hair rivaled his very own.

They were both beautiful- something that seemed to be an ongoing trait with these strangers.

The four "Elves" as they called themselves were fearful of the newcomers even though there were only two of them.

Heero looked over at Duo, his face so close they were almost touching, and whispered, "They will fight and when they do take one of them down."

Duo nodded his assent but inwardly cringed. He hadn't fought in years- not since the streets when fighting was an every day event.

Duo wasn't so sure they would fight- the people from Enniskillin were so afraid. One turned to flee and was struck down by the female with blue hair. Heero threw his body into the subsequent foray and used his bound wrists to swing at the closest man.

When Heero's forearms hit the man's face it made a sickening crack and blood poured from the man's mouth and nose. The other guy was strong, but Heero was much, much, stronger.

The two in grey were untouchable. They worked together without needing to speak- dancing around each other to stab and parry. The silver haired man used a short sword to swiftly dispatch Lyra.

Duo's mouth hung open and he froze as her lifeless body fell to the ground. There were blood and bodies on the pavement, staining it dark red.

When it was over the road was quiet and Heero kneeled next to him, eyes watching the two newcomers like a hawk. Duo felt protected but remembered why Heero was here in the first place. He was a killer- he fit right in with these people.

"Do not fret, young ones, for we are of Ellershouse. I am Noin and this is Millardo." Millardo was standing on the side of the road, wiping the blood off his sword onto the grass. They spoke with an old world accent.

Duo pushed himself to his knees and found that his hands were shaking. He put them in the pockets of his soccer shorts to hide them.

Noin looked calm and kind as if she hadn't just killed two people and stood a mere meter from their dead bodies.

"What are you called?"

"D-Duo Maxwell-Winner. This is Heero yuy...what are you people?"

She laughed lightly, "Elves and so were they," she nodded to Lyra and her goons, "but there are bad Elves and good Elves as there are good Humans and bad Humans.

"Right..."

Duo felt faint- unless he was being Punk'd this had to be real. The world was going to shit and Elves were running around killing people.

Heero stood and held out a hand to Noin, "Thank you both. We owe you our lives."

"Think nothing of it, Heero, for we are sworn to kill any Enniskillin we can get our hands on."

Heero nodded, his face grim. "We will be on our way then."

He reached down and grabbed Duo by the arm, pulling him to his feet- steadying his swaying body.

When Millardo spoke his voice was deep and quiet. It made them both stop and listen.

"If you leave us you will die. Heero may have a chance out there alone but do you really want him to die?," He pointed at Duo, "He cannot fight. He will be dead in a day."

Heero growled, "I will protect him."

Millardo chuckled, "He will not let you."

It was true, Duo was already angered and hurt that neither man thought he could defend himself. He was sure if need be he could still kick some ass. It had been years but that survival instinct was still there.

Duo glared at Heero, embarrassment painted red on his cheeks.

Noin's calm voice cut in, "Come with us Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy. We will teach you how to survive in this new world."

Duo was having none of this, "Can't lady, I have to get back to my brother in the city. He needs me more than I need Heero."

Noin and Millardo exchanged glances and Millardo reluctantly said, "The Fey have killed everyone in the city- your brother has been dead for hours now."


	17. Chapter 17

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Sixteen:

QUATRE

The sun had set hours before and when Quatre found himself at the rotunda it was pitch black. Usually the windows were lit up and a yellow light shone above the steps but it was like he was surrounded by a curtain of black. He couldn't even make out the shape of the bridge that crossed the narrows.

Quatre's legs were burning and he felt the need to stretch them. He did so while sitting atop the highest step- stretching one leg at a time against the wood. He was so far from in shape he was surprised he could even walk after all the running he was forced to do inside the downtown core.

Usually he walked to and from school but that was the limit of his physical conditioning. In retrospect he wished he had done something else; anything that would make trying to survive easier. His muscles felt tired and stiff and his knees ached.

The white paint on the wood next to his head was flaking and rough- his blond hair the only buffer between them. He missed his soft pillows and silk comforter at home. If today had been just another day he would be reading a novel under soft lamp light, a cup of cocoa in hand. Duo would be playing music too loudly down the hall and dancing manically, his moves shaking the floorboards.

Helen would be gone home for yet another day of work was over and Quatre would wonder one last time where his mother was, which ocean, which sea she made her home that night.

He was suddenly grateful for the oversized sweater he wore. It was above average temperature for fall but the night was still getting chilly. He shivered as he imagined what it would be like if this had happened during winter. Winter in Canada was not to be taken lightly. Out west it was like a -40 on a normal day and in the east they had more snow than they could usually handle. But with the snow came warmth and for that they all had to be grateful.

If anyone else survived the massacre he hoped they were warm, wherever they were. He thought of the children once again and was almost swallowed by sadness. Sweet, innocent children- those monsters struck them down without a thought. Quatre felt a small satisfaction he'd made Catherine pay- if not with her life than with her beauty.

He looked around at the trees enveloping the building. It was a perfect hiding spot; one side was open to the cool waters of the Basin and the other was framed by large trees. It was completely invisible to the highway and anyone that would be just patrolling by. His only fear would be someone discovering the path that led to the train tracks and up to the front door.

The rotunda had been there for as long as he could remember. It stood as a symbol of Halifax- one that was saved even after the rail road came through. The cities' historians wanted to keep it- apparently a prince came over from England with the love of his life and built her this rotunda. The prince, Prince Edward, was banned from marrying her as she was a commoner and he could not stomach the thought of marrying another. He built a heart shaped pond just up the hill from the rotunda for her as well.

The small white and round room was meant to be a music room and Quatre could picture sitting here with his own lover playing for him. Lazily playing with his hair as the music notes drifted over the water. The history books say the prince would watch over his fleet of ships while she played her music.

Quatre had come here many times before to read and get away from life as a Winner. They had great expectations of him and he'd let them down countless times. This is where he came to blow off steam and it was also the first place he'd learned self-harm. Ever since Quatre found new ways to cope with the stress, like his new found obsession with graffiti, he'd refused to come back here.

And yet here he was.

Quatre never thought he'd be sitting here, alone in a darkened city, emotionally and physically exhausted one more time.

He stood up and tried jiggling the cold metal handle. It was locked and unless he broke a window he would have to sleep outside. Screw that-it would only get colder the longer the night went on. With all the strange things happening Quatre wasn't sure if there would even be a morning.

Quatre descended the steps and searched the ground for something hard to break the window with. There was an unfortunate lack of rocks but he did find a crumbling piece of concrete under the step. The windows were old and the glass thin. It took Quatre one solid glance off the glass for the small pane to break. He shoved a hand in, blindly reaching for the latch and a piece of glass caught his forearm where the sleeve had fallen to his elbow.

He winced at the familiar feel and opened the door- it swung inward and he stepped into the darkness.

What if one of them is inside?

It was even darker inside than it was outside- if that were at all possible.

His heart beat faster and he felt a little faint.

If he made it until morning he would have to find something to eat- as it was he'd skipped lunch. Thank God Helen forced them to eat breakfast that morning.

Helen...what dark fate was bestowed on you?

He walked slowly in a circle and believed he was alone in the room. Quatre could hide here until morning and then either be scooped up by trowa or make it out of the city. Maybe there were other survivors...maybe this was only happening in Halifax for some sick and twisted reason.

A soft, plush bench seat ran the entire circumference of the building-jutting out a foot from the wall. This would do perfectly for a bed but Quatre was sure if his eyes closed for a moment he would dream of red uniforms staining a blue coloured field.

He locked the door and curled up on the side furthest the door and broken window. The seat smelt musty and old but the place was obviously taken care of by someone. He wondered momentarily what it would look like now that no one would be there as caretaker and then realized he didn't care.

Quatre's lashes floated to his cheeks and he tried to think of nothing at all.

He drifted in and out, his small body twitching as he woke. His eyes fluttered open and closed as he dreamed the terrors most had never seen.

/

There was Duo, he was doing what he did best-running, so fast he was almost a blur. Quatre watched from the sidelines sitting on the cold bench behind the cheerleaders. Hilde ran the girls through a cheer.

You might be good at basketball  
You might be good at track  
But when it comes to soccer You might as well step back  
Might as well step back

Say what?

You might as well step back

Can't hear you

Might as well step back

Go Duo!

Duo smiled that come on baby smile- reveling in the attention. But something was wrong...

...every time Hilde said step back Duo kept taking steps backward on and on until he was off the field completely.

Quatre stood up on the bench and cupped his hands around his mouth to yell, "Duo! Duo! Where are you going?"

/

When he awoke Quatre was soaked in sweat and was mouthing "Duo...Duo...Duo..." over and over again.

He sat up, tears in his blue eyes and looked around him. It was still dark and it couldn't have been more than a few hours since he'd laid down. Quatre was light headed and disoriented and swayed a little from side to side.

He eyed the broken glass on the floor- one shard gleamed in the moonlight from the window. It beckoned him. Called to him.

This is where it would end...it was meant to be this way. All those times he'd come to the rotunda before was just building him up for this moment.

Quatre kneeled down on the floor and grasped it in his hand. He was in the very middle of the round room, facing the door.

He took three deep breaths and looked away-placing the tip of the shard where the window had cut him before. It dug into the skin and he winced.

He keened "Duo, Duo, Duo" and pictured his face. His brother would never want this for him but he had no other option. He did not want to survive if Duo hadn't.

BANG BANG BANG

Quatre jumped, startled into dropping the glass as he cowered in fear. He knew with certainty who was on the other side.

He was here. Trowa had come for him.

Finally.


	18. Chapter 18

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter 18:

DUO

Night had fallen quickly after the news of the city's ravishing by the Fey. Duo had taken the news with a grain of salt because, well, Quatre wasn't dead. He couldn't be.

Duo would know in his heart if something happened to his brother.

Millardo and Noin made the calm suggestion for them to hike under cover back to their home and Principality. They said Heero and Duo would be welcome there and that the academy had already sent out more teams to locate survivors. If Quatre did survive they believed he would be found and taken to Ellershouse in the coming days.

As they walked Duo tried to pry information out of the two. Where did they come from? Why were they here? Who were the Fey and why were they trying to kill everyone? Each question was ignored outright by Millardo and politely put down by Noin. She said they would be taught all they would need to know at Ellershouse.

She also said they were much slower than Elves- having only crossed a short distance before nightfall.

They had hiked a good twenty or so kilometers through the woods before dark and now were in the process of making camp. Millardo and Noin were content to sleep under the canopy of trees and Heero created a small lean-to for the two of them in case it rained. They were far enough away from each other that Duo and Heero could speak without being overheard and Duo was thankful for their privacy.

Duo sat huddled underneath the lean-to, picking at small silver flowers with bulbs on top.

He looked up at Heero with a wide eyed gaze. Heero was standing in front of their small camp and said, "D'you think this is a good idea, 'Ro?"

Heero stopped what he was doing and looked down at him.

"Do I think what is a good idea?"

"You know, running off through the woods with these things, these strangers, we don't even know?"

"Strategically speaking, we should find cover, weapons, food and water as soon as possible. We should not be making new allies that could turn on us and I should ditch anything that slows me down."

Duo's mouth dropped open.

"You mean anyone that slows you down, don't you? You mean me? Well, be my guest! I'll just head back to the city and find my brother. To hell with you."

Duo made to stand but Heero let go of a piece of wood he'd been tying and shoved Duo's shoulder so he fell back to the ground.

"Stay. You aren't going anywhere."

"Why not? You just said I was only slowing you down."

"Having you here makes the odds two against two if they turn out to be dangerous." Heero nodded toward the two Elves. Millardo sat with his back against a tree, long legs extended out on the pine needles as Noin's head lay on his lap. They spoke quietly to each other.

"Thought you didn't need me."

Heero eyed him cooly, "I don't."

"Fuck you."

Heero scowled and leaned down, grasping Duo's chin in his hand, "I thought I told you not to forget what I am, Duo."

Duo growled, "A common criminal, yeah I haven't forgotten, I just don't care."

Heero released Duo's chin with such force he fell backward, whacking his head on the top of their shelter.

He winced in pain but remained silent and Heero secretly grimaced inside. He hadn't wanted to hurt Duo like that.

Heero saw himself as more than just a criminal but Duo would never know anything other than just that. If they had met under any other circumstance they may have been friends. But not now...now Duo knew what he was capable of and Heero was worried Duo would tell these Elves what he was. They could exclude him from their Principality they claim is safe if they knew he was a murderer.

He kept quiet and continued his work on the shelter- tying pieces of plastic markers he'd found in the woods along the way. Loggers used them to mark which trees to cut and now he was thankful for them. If it rained tonight they would still be cold but at least they would be dry.

Duo sat in silence under the shelter and nursed his feet. The cleats had done a number on them already and he rubbed at the blisters and hot spots- glancing up at Heero every so often.

He was furious.

He didn't need Heero to survive in this world. Honestly, his odds would go up drastically if Heero was far, far away from him. Duo wasn't sure if he could sleep next to a killer. Picturing what those rough hands had done in the past made Duo queasy.

From what he'd seen so far Heero was unpredictable. One moment he was sullen and quiet and the next he was angry and violent. Duo knew Heero was capable of using the strength he possessed for evil. He'd seen the beating Heero had given the police officers before the Sheriff's showed up. The police were bloodied and bruised and Duo was certain it took them many tries before they took the teen down.

"Damn."

His socks were bloody and his feet were wrecked. He would have to find different shoes or go without- and Duo wasn't sure which was the better option.

It was twilight and the trees shone a strange colour. Duo could not make out the moon for the heavy canopy above and he hope it was there, shining a light that said the Earth was still theirs.

He was startled when Heero sat next to him in the lean-to and grasped his left foot, pulling it into his lap. Duo searched Heero's face for any sign of malice but his face was devoid of any emotion. Duo had a difficult time not pulling away from those dangerous hands.

This guy was bipolar for sure.

Heero tore a small section from the end of his green tank top and used it to wipe up the rest of the blood that the sock failed to. He was methodic about it but Duo could already feel the stinging, throbbing feeling in his foot start to fade.

"Next house we pass we are stopping in to get you new shoes and warmer clothes for the both of us. Food as well if we can find it."

"Noin said it was too dangerous..."

"I don't care. We need supplies if we are to survive out here for any amount of time."

Duo watched as he finished with one foot and reached for the other. He stopped short of wincing- Duo didn't want to seem any weaker than Heero already thought him.

"Sure. I could use some new Nike's."

Heero ignored Duo's attempt at humor and kept working on his feet.

Maybe I should call him Nurse Yuy.

Duo chuckled and lay back, shuffling on his elbows to the end- feet stuck out so Heero could tend to his needs. Millardo was keeping watch and Noin was fast asleep, her head snug on his lap. From this angle he could tell Millardo was watching her sleep, one hand on his sword and the other resting in her hair.

They were so obviously lovers.

She reminded him of Hilde- their short hair was so similar. Absently, he unbraided his hair and combed it with his fingers, wondering where she was. If the Elves were right she was dead. He thought about that as well...would he miss her? Yes, of course. But the level he would miss Quatre surpassed anyone else he had ever met in his lifetime.

The whole city could burn as long as Quatre was safe and sound.

Duo vowed that he would do all in his power to find his brother and keep him safe. If he found him again Duo would make sure Quatre never left his line of sight again. He wondered if Quatre was searching for him right now- if he was wandering around the city in the dark yelling his name. As far as Duo knew, his brother had no idea the Sheriff's had come and taken him away.

He hoped Quatre didn't feel abandoned; Duo knew the loneliness that came with it.

I will find you, Quatre. If it is the last thing I ever do. I will find you.

Heero dropped his feet off his lap and shook Duo from his deep thoughts. He turned onto his side to attempt sleep. His face was shoved up against the back of the shelter while he felt Heero lay down on the outside. Duo would be warmer for it- but he was uncomfortable. He could almost feel the heat being sucked out of his body from the cold ground.

It seemed that the temperature during the day was overly warm but the nights have not changed. It was dark, cold, and Duo knew it would be a long and uncomfortable night.

/

When Duo awoke it was still dark and all was quiet. Well, everything except Heero's teeth that were clattering beside his head. Duo turned around and could just make out Heero's silhouette in the dark. His eyes were shut and he was asleep but his body was shaking with cold. He wore only that tank top and thin correctional pants and must be freezing.

His face was calm and slack with nothing remaining of the malice that adorned it just hours before. It was almost deceiving- how innocent he looked. His brown hair covered his eyes, he was long past a trim, and his complexion was like smooth marble. Duo had to resist touching his face to find out if it was indeed made of hard rock.

Duo scoffed. This man had claimed to kill many so should he really care if he spent one night in the cold?

Yeah, I do. And ain't that a bitch?

Duo tried to climb over Heero without waking him by placing one hand over his body and launching his weight over top the other teen. With any luck, Heero wouldn't kill him until he got over to the other side.

As he dropped down Heero stirred and Duo stilled- he held his breath and waited.

After he was sure Heero was still out Duo snuggled up close to him on the outside- pushing Heero further into the shelter. He snaked one arm over his flat abdomen and prayed he wouldn't wake up.

Imagine explaining why he was spooning with Heero in the middle of the night…it wasn't on his list of things to do.

Duo lay his head down on the ground next to Heero's. He was still chilly but not as much as the underdressed fugitive next to him. After a few minutes Heero's body stopped its violent shiver and Duo closed his eyes- waiting for sleep to take him again.

He fell asleep to the rhythmic breathing beside him and the scent of Heero's shampoo.


	19. Chapter 19

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Nineteen:

QUATRE

Quatre shied away from the door as the rusted hinge let go and in stepped a man dressed in a red jacket. The moonlight was dull but the red stood out in the darkness regardless.

The man was tall and his brown hair floated over his eyes and darkened them in shadow. The red jacket was buttoned together with a line of perfectly straight silver buttons that tied together at the neck. It gave the man a regal, if not snobbish, air.

His lips were unmoving- smile nor scowl painted upon them. The man seemed almost indifferent as if this kind of meeting happened every day.

Quatre thought it was highly unlikely unless the man had multiple sisters in the business of murdering and pillaging innocent people.

He was scared- no doubt about that.

Even though he wanted to die just moments before Quatre wanted it to be on his terms- not forced upon him by this- this thing in front of him.

Quatre lay back on the floor, glass forgotten in the heat of the moment, his back pressed against the bench seat.

He was vulnerable. He was weak.

Quatre could feel panic slowly setting in the longer the man stood in the doorway, unmoving. His breath hitched and he could feel the familiar itch in his upper airway.

No...not now! Calm down Quatre...keep your head!

Trowa took a step closer and Quatre found he could not help himself- the asthma had taken hold already. He began to cough and sputter and searched blindly for his book bag.

As his breaths got continuously more shallow he started seeing stars floating in front of his eyes. He forgot about Trowa standing there just feet from him and he swung his arms out, desperately searching for the bag.

Trowa's soft voice spoke to him on the other side of the haze, "Are you trying to defeat me by some human form of witchcraft? You will not be successful."

Quatre's fingertips finally reached the bag and he dove into it, pulling out the puffer and squirting it into his mouth. Holding his breath he made sure to make the best of what was left.

He shook it- the container felt ridiculously empty. Damn Dorothy and her bullying schemes.

Oh yes, Trowa is still here.

Quatre eyed Trowa and found his tracker was standing, sword drawn, with a concerned look stamped on his face.

"W-Witchcraft?" Quatre wheezed in between words as he chuckled at the man's stupidity.

"Have you never seen someone sick before?"

"We do not get sick."

"Oh. Well...I am."

Trowa pointed the tip of his sword to the ground and slowly came closer to the blond teen sprawled out onto the floor.

"It isn't contagious, is it?"

Quatre chucked, "No you nincompoop. I have asthma."

Trowa's brow furrowed, "Asthma? I have never heard of it. The Elves get sick but us Fey never have."

Rub it in why don't you.

Quatre was calm now- all of his energy was zapped up by the attack and stress of the day.

The man in front of him, Trowa, was beautiful. Even in the moonlight his features were chiselled and his body fit. He looked like he could run a marathon without any proper training.

Maybe they were all made that way. If so, the human race was doomed. Decades of McDonald's and Burger King has really screwed the population.

Trowa stood almost on top of Quatre and the teen took the chance to really look at him.

The grey eyes peering down at him made Quatre's heart flutter.

He is so handsome...

He had a wide eyed gaze, as if Quatre was a zoo exhibit and not a now homeless and raceless teenage boy lying on a dirty floor.

His eyes reminded him of Duo's- all wide and perfect...

Duo.

In all this excitement he'd forgotten about Duo. Had forgotten about the whole soccer team being slaughtered on the field as they played. Trowa could have been the one that killed them all.

Quatre's eyes teared up and he propped himself up on his elbows. He looked at the gleam of steel in front of him held limply in Trowa's right hand and wondered if remnants of Duo's blood stained it.

"I have never spoken to a human before. We are told you are all filthy and cruel beings but you seem harmless to me."

"I look harmless? Harmless? A four year old little boy is harmless...I am not!"

Quatre kicked out a well aimed shot and struck Trowa in the left knee. The surprise attack knocked Trowa to the floor with an "oomph" and Quatre took the opportunity to crawl over on his hands and knees to the door.

His hands brushed the small piece of concrete he'd used to break the window. He scooped it up, wondering if he may have to use it later.

His backpack still held the swords but they were tucked into his bag. He cursed his stupidity but decided it would be more risky to turn back now.

What he wouldn't give to feel the cold steel grasped in his hand again.

Quatre had a feeling Trowa would not be down for long. In fact, he could already hear booted feet on the stairs behind him.

Quatre made it the twelve or so feet it took to get to the trees then began the small drop down to the water below. He knew there was a small beach and closed his eyes as he slid down the bank, his feet hitting solid rock when he got to the bottom.

Quatre was pretty sure his hair was tangled full of leaves and twigs after blindly throwing himself down like that.

If he could get into the water Quatre had a chance of getting away. His respiratory system would tap out quickly if he were to swim very far but he'd run out of choices.

Behind him was Trowa- running like a bull to catch him and he was surrounded by water and trees on all other sides.

It was into the water with him- or Trowa would get to him for sure.

Quatre splashed out into the cold water and went in up to his waist before looking back over his shoulder. Trowa stood ankle deep and he looked down in dismay. Perhaps the man could not swim?

It was a showdown.

Quatre stared at Trowa while Trowa stared at the water...almost willing it to disappear.

Quatre would be diplomatic,"A truce, then?"

Trowa glared over the water at him and said, "Never. You harmed my sister, human. For that you must pay...the court demands it."

Quatre bit his lip. Yeah, he had hurt Catherine, probably disfigured the girl for life, but at least she was alive.

"You killed my brother," he said softly enough Trowa almost missed it.

Trowa's lowered his head and said nothing.

What could he say? Nothing would bring back Duo- the spark of life he brought to every room was put out by this man and his cruel sister.

Forever.

"I hate you for it, Trowa. I will hate you forever."

"And I will track you forever. To the ends of this Earth we now share. You must be punished for your crimes as well."

Quatre still clutched the piece of concrete in his hand as Trowa inched closer and closer- braving the water with every step. It was still too dark to see the poor excuse for a weapon and Trowa unwittingly got too close.

Trowa had a sword held out towards Quatre but the blond had the upper hand here- he did not have to hold it in order to effectively use it.

He reached his arm back, threw the concrete slab and aimed for Trowa's perfect face.

It connected with a thud just above his eye and Quatre watched as he crumpled to the water, unconscious.

Yes!

Quatre was elated.

Harmless, my ass.

He skirted around Trowa's limp, floating body and clambered up the beach, turning once to make sure Trowa was down for good.

Trowa was face down in the water and Quatre knew if he left him like that the man would surely die.

"Just like Duo," he murmured.

As he walked away Quatre remembered the time he'd saved a starving kitten and how Duo applauded him. He'd called him a kind saviour.

Quatre let out a gut wrenching cry and turned back to the floating body. He grasped Trowa by the arms and dragged him onto shore, laying him face up on the sand.

Quatre wondered what Duo would say if he knew how reluctant a saviour he really was.


	20. Chapter 20

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Twenty:

DUO

Duo was woken by a body shifting next to him. His arm that had been tucked firmly around a source of heat now flopped to the cold, wet ground.

He groaned and opened his eyes- blinking at the light that momentarily blinded him.

A figure loomed over Duo; blocking the morning sun and everything was wet with dew.

Oh right...I slept next to Heero last night.

Heero shuffled over Duo's body but stopped when he was directly over the braided teen- faces so close their lips could touch.

Duo gulped. Heero must have figured out how they'd slept together last night. When Heero shivered so violently Duo took it upon himself to warm the criminal up enough for him to sleep easily.

Heero glared down at him, cheeks blushed and whispered, "Thanks."

"Uh, no problem?"

What the hell was that?

This close Duo tried not to wince away from the man who was at times sincere and yet more often volatile.

He'd had yet to give Heero a reason to hurt him and he'd like it to stay that way.

Heero rolled over him and stood, rough hands palming the dew that covered his bare arms; wiping it off. He walked away and Duo turned onto his side and watched Noin and Millardo preparing to leave.

Should he continue on with these people or should he go back to the city and find Quatre? The question bugged him but if they were right and his brother was dead it would be useless to travel that distance and get killed along the way.

If there was security, food and weapons at this Ellershouse than he was up for the journey. But once there Duo vowed he would stock up, learn anything of value from these Elves, and go back to the city. The first chance he got he was going to use it to save his brother.

Hell, Quatre may already be at Ellershouse...Duo smiled at that thought. They had wasted time yesterday because of how much his feet were blistered and cut from the cleats. If Heero was willing, Duo was up for a break and enter just to get to Ellershouse faster.

He needed to know if Quatre was there.

He put on his bloodied socks thinking any barrier would help, even a blood soaked one. When he was ready we joined Noin and Millardo by their tree and waited for Heero who was destroying the lean-to.

Noin watched and nodded her head in approval, "That is good, we do not wish to leave a trail the Enniskillin may follow."

"Or worse, the Fey."

Millardo always sounded so gruff and Duo wondered how he kept his hair looking so perfect after sleeping in the woods all night. He was pretty sure his own hair he'd already rebraided was full of twigs and clumps of dirt but Millardo's shined with cleanliness.

"Mornin' all. So guess who lost their virginity last night!" Duo smiled at them.

Noin and Millardo exchanged surprised glances and looked over to where Heero came out of the bushes.

The criminal slowed and asked, "What?"

Duo backtracked and stammered, "No, no, I meant my camping virginity you guys! I've never slept outside in the woods before..."

"Ahh."

Millardo turned and walked away making a poor attempt to hide his laughter.

Noin followed him and left Duo standing in the woods, red faced with embarrassment next to Heero freaking Yuy.

Heero stood next to him in silence as Duo tried to apologize, "I'm so sorry about that 'Ro, I didn't mean..."

"It's okay Duo," Heero placed a hand on his shoulder squeezed, "Maybe next time."

He then followed the two Elves and Duo could not tell if the criminal was joking with him or was serious.

Duo stood alone in their camp, mouth open in surprise and was left speechless- possibly for the first time in his life.

Was he serious? Had I given that impression last night with the cuddling? It was not cuddling! I was just tryin' to keep the guy warm.

Duo thought about all the rumours about prison life- how long had it been since Heero had been with a woman? If he went to prison at a young age had he ever been with one?

Maybe he wasn't interested in women at all...

Duo felt a heat in the pit of his stomach as he tried not to think about that. He liked women. End of list.

The only girl he'd ever had a crush on was Hilde and the girl was a cheerleader! It didn't get any more feminine than that.

Next time Heero Yuy can freeze to death for all I care.

Noin lightly stepped back into the small clearing and smiled, "Come along you, I think he was only joking."

"You think?"

"Sure."

Duo reluctantly followed the Elf along the small path they'd created.

"What I wouldn't give for my car..." he groaned as they caught up to Heero and Millardo. They took to the trail once again and Duo brought up the rear in silence, contemplating the mystery that was Heero Yuy.

/

After hiking along for a good portion of the morning Heero spotted a farmhouse next to the highway.

He shaded his eyes and pointed, "We are going to that house over there for supplies."

Noin shook her head and interjected, "It is too dangerous- the Enniskillin or Fey could be there, lying in wait for unsuspecting Humans."

He smirked, "We are not unsuspecting Humans now, are we?" The dark and cocky criminal was back.

She sighed and Millardo suggested they would wait and keep watch while Heero and Duo made their way down to the house.

Heero took point and they kept to the foliage and skirted the large barn. There was about twenty feet of uncovered space they would have to cross but it would be worth it in the end.

Duo was painfully aware he had no weapon- Heero's knife he stole from the dead Sheriff was already in his right hand, ready to go in case they did run into something dangerous.

Heero turned and gave the signal, one, two, three and they were running- darting across the open space and up the front steps of the house. The house itself was pretty large and well kept. It had a wrap around porch and the door was open a crack.

Heero tapped it open with a finger and stepped into the darkened hall. Duo took a deep breath to steady himself. The adrenaline at least took away most of the pain in his feet and he could walk rather than hobble like he'd been doing the last hour.

Heero's back was broad in front of him and the criminal reached back for Duo's hand and brought it up to the end of his shirt. Duo's fingers brushed the hot skin of Heero's lower back.

Apparently Heero didn't want him to get lost in such a big house.

What an ass.

He held on regardless of his thoughts about it and followed Heero through the rooms and up the stairs. Only after clearing the whole house did Heero let him let go of the shirt.

"Okay, so what are we here for?"

"You look up here and try to find warm clothes and medical supplies- anything that may help us later."

"Where are you goin'?"

"I will look downstairs for food and water."

"Okay."

As soon as Heero stepped out the door of the bedroom Duo felt less safe. He hadn't realized a killer could be so overprotective of him...

But why? I've done nothing for him except warm him last night and if he is such a cold hearted criminal like he says than he shouldn't care about anything, let alone me. Right?

Duo shook is head and went back to the task at hand; stealing other people's shit so they could survive. It was like a really bad zombie movie.

He found a duffle bag and started cramming oversized sweaters and sweat pants. He even found a raincoat- the clouds outside were dark and low. It was only a matter of time before they opened up and drowned them all.

Heero came back in, arms heavy with food, and shoved it all into the same bag.

He held a pair of Nike sneakers in front of Duo with a small smile. Duo looked up and reached for them slowly, gratitude evident on his face.

He smiled back and it was as if time stopped. Perhaps they could be friends after all...

"Take those off. I found a kit with Polysporin and gauze as well." Heero slid the orange correctional pants down his muscular legs as Duo chucked his bloody footwear into the closet and sat on the edge of the bed.

He couldn't help but watch as Heero grabbed a pair of grey sweats from the bag and put them on. Heero turned and Duo quickly grabbed his socks, taking them off slowly.

By the way Heero smirked, Duo had been caught staring.

Heero knelt down and rubbed the medication into his feet and wrapped them tightly in sterile gauze.

Duo looked down at him, amazed.

First the man accosts him in a Sheriff's van and now he knelt at his feet, healing him.

Heero's face was still- he was concentrating on the task. The criminal was beautiful- no doubt about it. His eyes held a secret that Duo ached to find out.

Duo's hands grasped the bed sheets tighter and tried to think of anything, anyone else.


	21. Chapter 21

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Twenty-One:

QUATRE

When Quatre left the rotunda that morning he had no plan, no idea on where he could go. It was daybreak and the city would still be crawling with men in green uniforms idly searching for the rest of the Human survivors.

Now Quatre had walked and walked without a goal and he was hopelessly and irrevocably lost. He couldn't even remember which way he'd gone when he left the city- he had been so upset about Trowa.

The man and his sister were the only reason why Duo was not still living and breathing and yet he could not bear to leave the guy lying face down in the water, unconscious.

He wondered if Trowa would still come for him and realized that if the man did wake he would likely spend a long time looking for Quatre. He did best him in a fight.

If Quatre didn't know where he was how could Trowa?

He was hungry and tired and by the looks of those clouds he would need to find cover soon. They were dark and made the blue light that surfaced everything even darker. There were shadows everywhere and Quatre had jumped more than a few times because of it.

He hadn't seen hide nor hair of a human all day, or anything else, for that matter. Perhaps the Fey, as Trowa called himself, had better things to do than run down helpless Humans.

After hours of walking it was late afternoon and the bag was getting heavy on Quatre's back- pulling at his shoulders. He was okay when walking on flat ground but was forced to stop when facing an incline. Around these parts, hills were not a commodity.

He was at the bottom of one such hill in a deep gully, there was a small trail used by ATV's and four wheel drive vehicles that ran past a small stream.

Looking up at the other side of the gully Quatre decided to take a break from walking. The last thing he needed was another attack from climbing that hill but it was either that or double back; something he was not willing to do.

Quatre threw his bag on the ground, both swords were still tucked safely inside, and collapsed on his knees beside the stream. He shoved his face into the cool water and felt cold and refreshed when he surfaced. Using his hands he spooned water into his mouth, greedily sucking it in. It made him even more hungry and he could not stop picturing food.

Living life as a Winner he'd never wanted for anything but love and attention. Quatre tried to remember when he last missed a meal and could not come up with one.

He stayed kneeling, contemplating what his next course of action would be until he heard a splash.

Quatre reared back and fell on his behind, looking all around him.

No one was there.

Calm down, Quatre. It was probably just a fish...

Quatre stood and grabbed his pack and crossed the small stream, heart still beating loudly in his chest.

Damn it. How was he supposed to keep up this pace when he was afraid of his own shadow? Getting to sleep later would prove to be a challenge.

He was twenty yards or so up the grassy, tree covered hill when he heard it again. This time the leaves were rustling and it was not his imagination.

What were his choices? To stay still and hide or to challenge whoever was following him.

He had a sudden thought that made him queasy; it could be a wild animal.

Quatre unzipped the bag and slowly pulled out his sword, not stopping to see which one it was, and shrugged the bag back onto his shoulders.

If he had to run he was not willing to leave it behind.

He had a brief thought that Trowa woke from the beach and had caught up to him- his superior physical fitness overcoming Quatre's inability to maintain a decent pace.

Either way- whatever or whoever was making those sounds, did not bode well for Quatre.

Shit...what was that?

Quatre could hear a small murmur coming from a grove of trees on the side hill.

"H-help."

It really was a person! Quatre backed away from the trees- it had to be one of those men in uniform, or maybe Trowa was setting a trap for him.

He turned to run but stopped when he heard, "Please...help..."

Quatre looked up the hill and thought there was freedom that way and looked at the grove and thought about what it meant to gett captured. The voice was so pitiful- so sorrowful. It belonged to a man, that much was for certain, and it sounded like he was in pain.

Okay Quatre...lesson number one in life. If you get caught by the Fey right now you are the biggest idiot ever. If it turns out to be Human...good on you.

As he approached the trees he found they created a small circle and he could not see in at all. He would have to push through them blindly until he got in.

Anything could be in there...

Quatre took a deep breath and stepped in, sword first. The tree branches pulled at his clothing and he had to close his eyes so the twigs would not blind him.

When he stepped all the way through he could smell the pines and opened his eyes to a tiny clearing- maybe seven feet across; no more.

What was lying in the center of the clearing made Quatre's heart race, his skin sweat and his respiratory system begin to shut down.

A man lay on his back, sprawled out, limbs askew- wearing a green uniform. He smiled up at Quatre with perfectly white teeth and a look on his face that said "Yes! Found you!"

Idiot, I'm a total idiot!

Quatre whimpered in fear and backed away. The man struggled to sit up and said, "Wait, please! I won't hurt you...I've hit my head and need help getting to my truck."

Wait, his truck?

"What are you talking about? You don't drive trucks...no one does anymore."

Quatre stared at the man and realized he had blood dripping from a wound on his forehead, underneath that was a nasty gash.

"Well it isn't much but it's a Ford truck. Did you pass it coming in? It was parked on the trail. Please, I need to get to it to call in for help. Could you help me get to my radio?"

"Your radio?"

The man stopped talking and looked at Quatre like he had three heads.

"Yes, my radio...where are you from, kid?"

"Halifax."

"And you don't know what a radio is?"

Quatre scoffed, "Of course I know what a radio is, the question is do you really not know they don't work anymore? Nothing does."

"Look kid, I need you to get me to my truck, that's all, okay? My cell phone is dead and I've hit my head so hard I'm seeing blue. If you hadn't came along I don't know how they would have found me. "

Quatre walked closer to the man and kneeled down beside him on the pine needles.

"How long have you been out here?"

"I went on patrol yesterday morning; scouting for illegal traps. I'm a forest ranger."

Quatre could breathe easier- he was Human! The first survivor he'd come across yet. That explained the green uniform he wore.

"Oh, I thought you were something else..." If he'd been out there for that long he had no idea what happened in the city.

Quatre held out his hand-it was dirty and the multi-coloured nail polish was chipped but the man held his hand out as well and they shook.

"My name is Quatre."

"Wufei Chang."

"I have something to tell you and it will be most difficult to believe but it's important you do, okay Wufei?"

The man looked at him quizzically.

Where does one start telling a story that ends with murder? How do you tell someone that their whole family is likely dead?

"Wufei, something happened in the city. I'm not sure exactly what it was but it has something to do with the power outages that down the planes. Nothing is working; no vehicles, no phones, nothing. People appeared and killed everyone in the downtown core. I escaped and spent the night in hiding and haven't seen a living soul since, until you."

Wufei sat up further, pushing himself up on his elbows, and Quatre reached down to help him. His features were Asian, his long black hair Quatre could now see was pulled back in a short pony tail.

"I feel like you are telling tales, Quatre. I don't like drama- I'm injured and need your help. Will you help me get to my truck or not?"

"That blue light you see? I see it too. Haven't you noticed the flowers as well?"

Wufei sat, a moment of silence stretch out until Quatre sighed and said, "Yes I will help you. I understand that you don't believe me, if it were the other way around I probably wouldn't believe you either."

He helped Wufei stand, he said he was very dizzy, and Quatre hoped the truck wasn't too far away. Wufei was not heavy but Quatre was weak and could barely make it any distance on his own.

Quatre put his shoulder under Wufei's arm and they held onto each other, shuffling through the trees and down the hill back to the stream.

"So that was you making those noises, huh? The splashing and everything?"

Wufei looked down at him and said, "I didn't make any splash."

"Oh."

He looked over his shoulder and all around. They needed to get out of there and fast.

"C'mon, we need to go."

"Sure Quatre," Wufei shook his head at the paranoid teen. They got a decent rhythm going and started down the small four wheeling trail.

"How far to your truck, do you think?" Quatre was beginning to tire out.

"Almost there- it should be just around that corner."

"Good...I don't know how much longer I can go."

The trail split into two and Wufei nodded to the left and they took it. A green Ford truck with government plates sat parked on the side of the trail.

Wufei smiled, "I never thought I'd see it again."

Quatre knew it would not start but thought better than to mention it again. Instead he opened the door and helped Wufei into the passenger seat. The ranger reached under the seat and pulled out a little white box marked First Aid in green lettering.

He reached over and tried to start the truck and Quatre, bored, decided to find a log to sit on. He watched Wufei go through the motions.

The truck wouldn't start and the radio was dead. Just like he'd said.

Wufei looked down from the cab of the pickup and asked accusingly, "What did you do to my truck?"

Quatre balked, "What did I do? I did nothing! I didn't even know your truck was here."

He unfolded his arms and glared at the ranger, how dare he ask such a question.

"You must have done something; this truck is basically brand new. It always starts. Did you screw it up in the off chance you ran into the ranger that drove it just so you could get away?"

Quatre stood, pale face flushed with anger, "Why would I do that?"

His fists clenched he was so mad. This ranger was so arrogant!

"You could be a poacher- are you the guy I'm out here looking for? The illegal trapper? What's in that bag?"

"Yes," Quatre said dryly, "I'm a seventeen year old trapper. Isn't that for old people?"

"Actually no, I have my trapper licence."

"Exactly."

Wufei raised his eyebrows, "Oh, you think I'm so old, do you? I'm only three years older than you are now."

"Twenty is old, to me anyway. Are you done accusing me of destroying government property yet? I'd like to move on. We shouldn't stay in one place for too long."

Quatre kept looking around them, searching for that red jacket he swore he would have nightmares about.

"Look kid, If you get me to a house I'll believe your little story okay? Anything you say."

Quatre sighed- there was no convincing Wufei and he couldn't blame him, it really was an unlikely story.

"Sure. Just hurry up with that kit."

Wufei pulled down the visor and looked at the gash. He grimaced when he touched it and said, "Looks like it'll need stitches. It's small but deep. The chances for infection are much greater after six hours without medical care as well. Damn."

Quatre sat on his log again and kept watch, listening for any sounds that didn't belong.

"Could you come wipe it with an antiseptic, please? I can't force myself to do it."

"Sure."

He took the small cloth from Wufei's hand and studied his face while rubbing the dirt from the wound. Wufei's eyes were closed and he was wincing from the pain.

He was very attractive; and likely, just as unattainable.

Quatre always had bad luck with lovers, i.e. he'd never had one. Duo said it was his sullen attitude and the way he dressed like he didn't care.

But Quatre thought that was who he was, so why should he change just to have someone like him.

When he was done Quatre rummaged through the kit and grabbed a large bandage that could cover the majority of the ranger's forehead.

He unpeeled the wrapper and stuck it on Wufei's skin, gently smoothing it into place.

When Wufei opened his eyes they stared right at him- and Quatre blushed, stepping away.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. We need to go now."

"Yeah, yeah I forgot, we're being followed and shit."

"We aren't. I am"

"Oh, what'd you do?"

Quatre contemplated this as he helped Wufei down from the truck.

"I guess I pissed somebody off."


	22. Chapter 22

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Twenty-Two:

DUO

After Heero fixed up Duo's badly injured feet the foursome made up the time they wasted quite quickly. Duo stopped hobbling and kept up with the Elves' pace; even Heero kept up with Millardo's exceptionally long legs and strides he took.

They crossed streams and small rivers- holding onto each other's hands in a Human/Elf chain. Heero kept the duffle bag on his shoulders and above the water. If their food supplies got wet they would be shit out of luck unless they found another house along the way.

Duo had to hold Heero's waist as they crossed the largest of rivers. It was a narrow river but the current could take any one of them away in mere moments if they were careless.

Heero was strong and sturdy and with every step he took Duo grasped his waist, slick with slimy river water, just to hold on.

Duo tried to keep his mind on his surroundings but Heero was right there, so close that Heero's back touched his chest. Noin and Millardo were already successfully across; waiting for them.

"You know, I could just kick you off right here Duo."

Duo's grip tightened around Heero's waist as he listened.

"What would you do?"

Duo's hands were almost tearing into his side now, he was angry and scared at the same time.

"Die, of course," Duo mumbled into the crook of Heero's neck, "I'd come back to haunt you though, make no mistake about that."

Heero chuckled, the sound rumbling though them both.

"Asshole."

The water was cold on his legs and he was sure he'd felt a fish or two brush past. He shivered as he followed Heero up the other bank and threw himself onto the dry grass with a huff.

So far, whenever Heero threatened him it had been in private, either in the van or the house when Millardo and Noin were nowhere near. Even the night before they had their conversation; when Heero knocked him down, he'd done it strategically so they hadn't noticed.

Duo was beginning to realize his game; in private he was either tender or malevolent and in public he was indifferent.

Whatever, it's not like I'm attracted to the guy or anything. Be my guest, Heero Yuy, just try to make my life worse than it already is.

Duo thought that impossible. He was homeless and worse, brotherless. All day, every step he took closer to Ellershouse, he thought about Quatre and where he could be. Was there anywhere safe Quatre could have gone to await Duo's return?

He racked his brain and couldn't come up with a place. They had no home other than the mansion downtown and that was surely taken over by the enemy.

Duo lay back on the grass- watching the sky. The clouds were even darker than before and Duo was sure he'd felt a rain drop or two. When that opened up they were really in for it.

He looked to his left at Heero who stood ringing out his sweatpants. If he hadn't been looking so intently Duo may have missed the slight shiver in the criminal's body.

It would be another one of those nights if they didn't make it to Ellershouse on time and there was no way in hell he'd be comforting the guy again tonight. Not after today.

"How much further, Noin?"

She looked around and pointed in the direction they'd been heading, "About half a days walk yet. We will have to find cover soon- we are lucky the rain held off as long as it did."

"Yeah..."

Millardo walked closer to her and said, "There once was a cave nearby- or there was in our world. We could search for it and make camp inside."

The small Elf nodded her consent, "Good idea."

Duo hoped that cave was warm.

They sent Millardo ahead to scout the place and after another hour of walking they happened upon a small clearing. The highway was just to their left and the trees hid them from prying eyes. It was a perfect hiding place.

Duo was exhausted. He'd spent more time in the woods the last two days then he had his whole life. The Winner family hadn't been up for camping and his time before that was incessantly spent scavenging on the streets.

Sometimes as a child, he would pretend the cardboard box he'd huddled in was a tent and he was actually camping with his family; a mother, father, brother and sister. Of course, he never was adopted into a home like that. Quatre and Helen became all of those to him. He'd never complained- Duo felt lucky to be chosen for that.

His heart still ached for the only brother he'd ever known. Duo missed Quatre's small laugh and eyes sunken so deep with a sadness he would never really know.

Noin had spoken of carriages travelling the outskirts of the city and Duo hoped to God Quatre would be in one and on his way to Ellershouse.

They crossed the clearing and the rain poured down in buckets. The three ran for cover under the canopy of trees but it was no use; they were soaked through.

They heard a sharp whistle and Noin perked up, waiting for it to sound again. When it did she motioned for them to follow and took off like a dart to the left, wading silently through the bushes.

Duo shrugged his shoulders at Heero and they took off after her. Duo's new Nikes were caked in mud and bits of blue grass and his feet slid this way and that. So much so that Heero reached over to steady him on more than one occasion as they slid down a hill, fingers intertwined.

When their feet made contact with solid ground Duo was wide-eyed with a grin across his face. He let out a "Whoop!" so loud it made Heero smirk and shake his head at the crazy braided fool.

They stood in a hole just large enough for the two of them and watched as Noin disappeared further inside the cave. Duo was getting queasy just looking at it. He sincerely hoped it was larger than that inside or it would be a wet night for him.

"Come on, scaredy cat."

"I am not scared; I'm concerned, thank you very much. I don't see you diving head first to get in there."

Heero grasped Duo's hand a little tighter as he drew close and pushed Duo into the dirt wall of the entrance. Duo's heart raced, his mouth got a little dry and for the life of him he didn't know why.

Heero eyed his lips, his nose, and his cheeks as he breathed silently in front of Duo.

"W-what are you doing?" Duo coughed as his voice cracked. He just couldn't keep it together in front of this guy.

Both their layers of clothing were latching and clinging to their bodies. Duo could see the outline of Heero's flat stomach and bulky shoulders underneath. He tried to fight the urge, really he did, but he couldn't help his left hand reaching up to smooth the shirt up from Heero's abdomen. The skin that peaked out was tanned and wet and beautiful.

Holy hell, what are you doing, Duo? Heero's going to punch you out and skin you alive! They will never find your body!

Heero stared at him; their faces so close Duo could reach out and lick his nose. He had never been that suicidal though, of course.

The criminal's skin was hot where they touched and Duo's face was flushed red with heat.

Maybe he should go ahead and do it; maybe Heero wouldn't go bat shit crazy if he reached out a little further and let their lips touch.

Heero leaned forward just a little when Duo hesitated and breathed, "See? Just a scaredy cat."

With that he let go of Duo's hand and disappeared head first down the hole.

It was Duo that was left shivering this time.


	23. Chapter 23

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Twenty-Three:

QUATRE

"Why are you carrying that damn thing around with you anyway?" Wufei had gained some semblance of balance and could walk without Quatre's supporting arm. They had travelled a good distance thus far in silence but Wufei was getting restless.

Quatre mulled over their situation and tried to come up with a strategy that could defeat Trowa in a confrontation. Wufei seemed like he was in great physical shape but was handicapped at the moment with that bump on his head.

Why was he carrying around the sword, Quatre thought that should be obvious?

"To defend myself against him, if he comes back, of course."

"Oh yes, the mysterious and absent Trowa. How would you describe him?"

After a moment of silence Quatre said softly, "Dangerous and kind at the same time. When he spoke to me it wasn't to threaten. Actually, I was the first to strike against him come to think of it."

"Well now, maybe he was there as a friend; to help you when you needed it. I wonder what went through his head when a little blond attacked him, unprovoked."

Quatre abruptly stopped walking and scowled at Wufei.

"For your information it was provoked, very much so. He and his sister decimated Halifax and murdered the only family I have!"

"I'm sorry-"

"Yeah, so am I."

Quatre pushed on- leaving the forest ranger to follow.

Now what did I go and do that for? Wufei is the only companion I have against Trowa's onslaught and if I push him away I will surely die in this forest.

He should make amends and quickly.

"Do you have any food, by chance?"

Wufei patted empty pockets and shook his head, "I was only coming out to do one patrol of the area. I hadn't planned on staying out here this long. But," he held up a slender finger, "I do know how we can get some."

"Okay, Ranger, I'm in."

They spent the better part of the evening off the small trail lest they be seen and Wufei dragged him further into the woods than he'd ever been.

"I'm going to guess a city kid like you doesn't possess even the smallest amount of survival skills, am I right?"

"Right."

"Well then, allow me to introduce you to the fine arts of hunting and trapping."

After an hour or so of crawling around on hands and knees Wufei successfully showed Quatre how to set up a trap large enough to ensnare a rabbit. At first Wufei had talked him through the set up and Quatre only half listened. The Ranger had asked him if he got it and after Quatre said yes, he'd fumbled all the pieces together and threw them in a heap. He'd made Quatre make one himself.

And thus he learned how to set up his very first snare- face smudged with dirt and an approving Ranger nodding over his shoulder, watching his fingers thread and knot.

On any other day Quatre's stomach would flip-flop with the thought of killing a small, harmless bunny but he was hungry, and that made it okay.

They hid in a small enclosure that was really just made up of a rotted log and tree stump. They lay prone, flat out on their stomach, and peeked over the edge of the log.

Wufei said they were far enough away they could whisper and watch but he'd rather they keep any major noise down. To scare away supper now would make for a long, uncomfortable, night.

"Where will we camp for the night, Wufei?"

The Ranger's eyes watched the trap like a hawk as he whispered back, "I know this area like the back of my hand. There is an old abandoned cabin near here we could squat in. Come to think of it the fire department was supposed to do a controlled burn but it never got done. That's the government for you."

"That's good luck for us then."

"Yep."

Quatre tried not to fidget as he watched Wufei work. Their bodies were so close Wufei's arm touched his when he pulled on the string to make it taught.

Something cold and wet dripped from the sky and as Quatre looked up the heavens opened up and it rained drops so heavy the ground turned to instant mud.

"Should we go?" He pulled up the hood of his sweater to block the rain.

"Shh."

Quatre poked his head up further and saw something white walking under the bushes, trying to get out of the rain.

Wufei pulled the cord and the makeshift snare closed in on the rabbit, effectively trapping it.

Quatre grinned, elated. They would eat tonight; finally.

/

They kept the rabbit in its cage until Wufei got his bearings enough to find the old cabin. His compass was useless- apparently the Fey did not possess a magnetic north.

He'd gotten so mad he threw it to the ground and then promptly picked it up, mumbling about littering.

Quatre just followed; glad for the chance they may get out of the heavy rain. When they got there his heart sunk.

When Quatre pictured a cabin it was made of logs and glass windows- not boarded up grey wood. The roof looked sagged and likely leaked in more than one place.

Wufei nudged his arm, "It isn't the Hilton but it will do. Come along, you have dinner to kill."

"What? Why do I have to kill it?"

"It will give you a better appreciation for your meal. You live in this world where you drive to the local super mart and grab it off a shelf. Do you even know where your food comes from? Where it is grown?"

Quatre looked guiltily at his muddy shoes and realized no, he didn't know any of that.

If the world ever set itself right he would have to add that his list of things to find out.

"Come, I'll show you what to do."

Wufei grabbed a discarded board off the ground and laid it on the porch. The rabbit was looking at Quatre with sorrowful eyes- or so he interpreted. Did the rabbit realize he was about to die?

Do animals have that kind of perception?

Quatre had known it as soon as he'd seen Trowa after he attacked Catherine. He had seen it in Trowa's eyes- the promise was there; he would come for him.

Just let him come...

Wufei unhooked a hunting knife Quatre didn't know was there and offered it to him. He was really making him do this.

"Just take deep breaths, okay? If you break his neck at the same time it will kill him instantly. He will suffer less for it."

"Okay..."

Wufei lifted the top of the snare and grasped the bunny by the scruff of the neck, holding him out onto the board.

"Now, Quatre."

It was a battle of wills- the rabbit's sad eyes and Quatre's own unwillingness to end its life.

"Do it."

The knife was slippery in his hand- what if he did it wrong and the animal suffered for it?

Wufei saw this indecision and, with rabbit firmly in one hand, he stood behind him, right hand grasping Quatre's. He brought the blade down with one firm swipe and the rabbit was dead- no suffering and they would be able to carry on another day.

Quatre let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding and Wufei told him to go inside and make camp.

"Make camp with...what exactly?"

"There may be left over bedding or even a mattress. I've never been inside before so it will be a surprise to the both of us."

"Okay...and what are you going to do?"

Wufei held up the dead carcass and explained, "I'm going to clean this. It will just take a moment."

Quatre hurried inside before Wufei started in on another disgusting lesson in survival.

/

If the outside was worse for wear the inside was atrocious. There was a film of dust over every surface and any furniture in the room was broken in some way. There were positives though; it was dry and there was perfectly good bed in the loft.

Quatre was so exhausted he just wanted to crawl up there and sleep for the next week. He thought better of it and searched around for things to light a fire with. They were lucky for not only was there a fireplace but it had a perfectly good chimney that no birds had made their nests inside.

Now, what to light it with?

Wufei came through the door with the animal in hand; skinned and cleaned, and Quatre tried not to look sheepish. Why couldn't he kill it on his own?

"What's the damage?"

"There is a bed in the loft," Quatre pointed upward, "and the chimney is clear. Now I'm trying to figure out how to start a fire."

"No need- in the handle of my knife is a waterproof compartment," Wufei chucked it at him and Quatre fumbled it, narrowly missing the blade.

"In it you will find matches and you can use the chair legs as kindling."

"Yeah, I found some ancient newspapers in a drawer as well."

"Good."

They set about their tasks and in a short time the cabin was basking in the warm glow of a fire. Wufei set up a clever way to cook the meat without singeing it and they stood back, admiring their work.

"For a city kid you really aren't that bad, Quatre."

"Thanks."

"Now, we need to let our clothes dry," Wufei untucked his green uniform shirt from his pants and peeled it from his skin, "no need for us to catch our deaths."

Quatre blushed; he'd never seen a naked man and Wufei showed no signs of stopping there.

His eyes were glued to the floor as he thought about the situation. Was this a gift or a curse? God waited until now to provide him with some serious eye candy and he was too chicken shit to look.

The splat of a wet shirt hit him square in the face and Wufei ducked away, laughing, as Quatre balled it up and threw it back.

They were both happy; there was food and water and warmth. Just hours ago both had no hope in the world of surviving but now they had each other.

After eating a supper Quatre was bound and determined not to feel guilty about consuming, they sat in just their boxer shorts, discussing their lives. The laundry hung on whatever space they could find- on chairs, the table, even Quatre's hoodie was held up by an old fire poker.

"Did you have any family in the city, Wufei?"

"No, I am originally from New York. The city life did not agree with me and I immigrated here and found work as a forest ranger. The woods are where I feel most at home- not in a crowded place where no one knows my name."

"You must miss your family then?"

"No...no, not really." Wufei did not offer up anything more on the subject so Quatre did not press on.

"What about you, Quatre? What's your story? There is something about you...something deep. It makes me want to know you better."

Quatre blushed again, "Nothing much really. My father owns Winner Enterprises and his plane crashed a few days ago after the first power outage. My mother is in the Navy and God knows where she is now."

"You mentioned you had a brother?"

"Yes...but he died when the power went out for the last time and people appeared and started killing everyone. I fell asleep in the library waiting for him to finish soccer practice and when I awoke there was chaos in the streets. The soccer field was filled with a mound of bodies- all wearing the red school uniform."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Wufei sounded sincere enough but Quatre was not convinced that the Ranger believed what happened in the city to be true.

"It's true you know- everyone out there is dead."

"And yet you remain."

Quatre licked his lips and stood, heading for the loft.

"Yes, and I think it is my curse. Yours too, now."

Wufei sat by the fire a moment longer, lingering there, pondering Quatre's claims.

He climbed up and lay on the musty bare mattress with Quatre, pulling the slight teen close to him and said, "It will be our curse together and if this man, this Trowa, comes for you, I will be here to kill him. On my honour, Quatre Winner."

Quatre fell asleep with a smile on his face- he felt safe for the first time in days.


	24. Chapter 24

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Twenty-Four:

DUO

The night was spent half naked in a cave, air drying their clothing. Even the spares they had in the duffle bag were damp. The food, however stale, was consumed with vigor by all.

The cave was nothing more than an outcropping of rock with hole just large enough for a person to get through. Inside it opened up large enough that Duo was able to comfortably sleep. He'd never had a fear of small spaces before but then again, he'd never been in a cave before either.

When he woke the next morning Heero was beside him, mumbling in his sleep. Duo strained to hear what he was saying but it was just a jumble of words.

Duo stretched and made to sit up but the criminal flopped over and threw an arm over his chest, drawing him in. Heero was obviously asleep and didn't realize what he was doing.

Duo lay in silence but Heero kept pulling him ever closer- his arm like a steel bar he could not remove. Did he want to even if he could?

Heero's eyes were still tightly closed and Duo wanted them to stay that way. He settled back to the smooth rock where he'd made his bed the night before and sighed. Duo accepted his fate-there was no getting away from this guy.

Noin and Millardo were still asleep, they had talked about keeping a watch like on the first night of their trip, but Millardo pointed out that their tracks were erased by the heavy rain and the likelihood of being followed was slim. And thus they all were able to get a decent amount of sleep last night.

Speaking of which- the rain must have stopped sometime overnight because Duo could not hear the steady roar of it. Birds chirping took its place and Duo was grateful.

They could finally make it to Ellershouse and see who survived the chaos in the city. He wondered if the Elves would have a list of names of the survivors or if he would have to randomly walk around and try to find Quatre.

Ugh, to hell with this...

Duo elbowed Heero in the side and slid out from under the arm that had trapped him there when Heero woke, grasping his side.

"What the fuck was that for?" His voice was heavy with sleep and anger.

"Nothing...it's just time to get up, lazy ass. We have ground to cover and I heard Noin say yesterday that we are almost there."

Heero dropped back down to the ground and huffed. Apparently he was not used to waking up early.

"What time do they wake you up in prison anyway? Noon?"

"Fuck you."

A chuckle came from the corner and Duo realized they had an audience. He looked away and stopped his rude banter with Heero as he reached for his clothes. They were still damp but were way better than they'd been the night before.

Once all were dressed Millardo poked his silver haired head out the entrance- Duo presumed to look for the enemy- and gave the all clear.

It was a chilly morning but Duo felt alive and rejuvenated. His quest for Quatre would begin when they finally got to Ellershouse.

As they walked through more forest near the highway Millardo abruptly took a knee and Noin quickly followed. There was something on the road in the distance.

"Is it Fey? Or Enniskillin?"

"No...I believe it is ours."

As the object came closer Duo could see a small carriage adorned with silver embellishments and two doors on either side.

"Perfect. They may have room and we can hitch a ride the rest of the way."

Heero was silent and Duo nudged him, "This is good right? We don't have to walk any further..."

Heero looked reluctantly at him but Duo could not figure out why the man was so reluctant to follow Noin and Millardo down the hill. The Elves were already part way down and the two were falling behind.

"What if they know what I am?"

"A prisoner?"

"A killer...no one would allow me to enter their home if they knew that."

"How would they find out?"

Heero gave him a cold look and said, "From you. I haven't exactly made you an ally, Duo."

Duo scoffed, "No, you've been an irresistible asshole, really. But I won't be the one to tell on you, okay? Besides- wouldn't you just kill me for it if I did?"

"Yes."

"Well then, there you have it. If I tell I die and no one wants that. Your secret is safe with me."

"Hn."

"Oh come along Heero," Duo stood and jogged down the hill, "They won't wait all day."

Duo did not look back to ensure Heero followed but he hoped he did. Facing Ellershouse alone would not be easy.

As he caught up to them Noin and Millardo stepped out in front of the approaching carriage. The horse's hooves sparked on the pavement and it was an odd sight to see on the highway.

Duo felt as if they were in a Jane Austen movie- not that he'd ever seen one, of course.

"Woah there."

Millardo held a hand out to stop the horses and the driver stood in his seat atop the carriage. It was a small man and he looked frightened at first.

"Enniskillin?"

"If we were you'd be dead, wouldn't you?"

"Oh yes, yes, I suppose. Get in then, the lot of you. I'm late with this batch of survivors and the training program begins tomorrow. A bit early for my taste."

You could tell the driver was old by the way he spoke and it reminded Duo of any other regular Human. Except most everyone else was already dead.

"Thank you," Noin opened the door and motioned quickly for Duo to climb in. He hesitated and searched for Heero. Had he followed or chosen his own path, alone?

Heero's gruff voice came from behind and startled him.

"Hurry up, they don't have all day, remember?"

Duo smiled and clambered up into the carriage and saw that some seats were already taken. It was clear by their clothing that they were survivors and had gone through a lot to get here. He sat in the seat by the window as Heero took the other beside him. The door clicked into place and the two Elves must have taken the seats next to the driver.

"Oh my god, Duo? Is it really you?"

Duo had to look twice at the girl in front of him- her face was so dirty and hair a mess he did not recognize her at first.

"Hilde? Is that you?"

The girl promptly threw herself across the carriage into his arms and cried into his shoulder. He never thought he'd see her again.

Duo's emotions were all over the place as she clutched his arms and burrowed into him. Less than a week ago this was all he ever wanted- for Hilde to like him back. As Duo comforted her the carriage jerked into motion- they were on their way to Ellershouse.

Duo looked over and watched Heero as he sat silently- staring out the window with a scowl upon his face.


	25. Chapter 25

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Twenty-Five:

QUATRE

It had been a week since they'd found the cabin and in that time Quatre almost forgot what happened in the city. Had almost forgotten about Trowa. And Duo.

Almost.

They spent that week cleaning and hunting and Quatre could say he trapped many small animals and made the cabin habitable. His asthma had all but disappeared in the fresh air of the country but he was not risking it. When he cleaned he wore a wet rag over his mouth to stop any spores from causing an attack.

The kitchen was clean now- it took him ages to scrub the layer of crime from the table top and three out of four chairs were now thrown out. The legs they kept to make more fires at night.

Wufei spent the week recovering and doing odd jobs around the cabin. He'd taken up an interest in getting the kindling every evening for the fire and checked the traps almost hourly.

They spent every waking moment with each other, except when they needed to get things done. Wufei showed him how to whittle on the porch and when they lazed around the warm fireplace. At night it was their only source of light and they stayed close to it until they climbed up to bed.

Wufei always slept next to Quatre- even when he had the choice to sleep on the rug Quatre had found locked away in an old chest along with a quilt.

Whenever Quatre made his way to bed the forest ranger was hot on his heels.

It made Quatre feel a warmth he'd never felt before.

He felt it now, as they lay on the rug in front of the fire and Wufei worked on another wooden project. The small wood shavings fell to the floor, abandoned.

Nothing had been said in the last two hours and the silence was comfortable.

"You know...I could show you how to use those properly."

"To use what properly?"

"Those swords. You have two of them, right?"

"Well, yes...but how would you know how to use a sword?"

Wufei turned on his side, the light from the flames flickered across his face as he said, "I'm Asian, Quatre, and I was basically born with a sword in my hand."

"Well, that seems like a mild stereotype..."

"It isn't, trust me. When I left New York I left everything behind, even my Katana."

"Why did you leave, Wufei?" Quatre didn't want to pry but he was curious as to why a young man as strong and successful as him would abandon everything he knew- just to work alone in a forest.

The silence stretched so long he was sure Wufei wouldn't answer.

"I killed someone."

Quatre sat up, startled.

"You what?"

"It's not what you think. I used to be quite the party-goer, though you probably wouldn't think that of me now. I was downtown in New York City and my boyfriend at the time, Alex, and I spent the night at a bar. I got drunk and he wanted to go home so I sent him on his way, alone. He was a pre-med student at NYU. Anyway, the next morning when I went home I got a phone call from the police. Turns out he'd gotten mugged and they needed his roommate to come identify the body."

"Oh Wufei., I'm so sorry..."

Wufei tossed the wood on the floor and sighed, "He died because I wasn't finished partying and left him to walk home alone. It was my fault. I couldn't face my family anymore- they had no idea he was my boyfriend. The whole world thought we were only roommates. The day after his funeral I went to the airport and got on the first plane I could catch."

Quatre balked at this news- he'd had no idea Wufei was gay and that he lost a lover.

"So you left everything and everyone you knew and came to Canada?"

"Yes, the plane landed in Halifax in the middle of winter. When I got off the plane I almost changed my mind it was so cold but I just couldn't go back to that life anymore. So I filed for my papers and got a job at a fast food restaurant until my citizenship came in and then I applied for a job as a Ranger."

"Oh, why a Ranger?"

"I just didn't want to have to talk to people, I guess. Working at the fast food place almost made me lose my mind."

Quatre smiled, "Yes, I bet it could do just that."

Wufei cleared his throat and changed the subject, "What about you, Quatre? What is your story?"

"Well, I grew up here."

"Here? In a rundown cabin?"

Quatre chucked a wood shaving at him. "No, silly, I grew up in Halifax with my parents. I'm supposed to take over my father's corporation when he dies but that obviously didn't happen."

"What was it like growing up here?"

"Well, I don't know if you've noticed but I'm sick."

"Sick how?"

"Asthma...since we've been out of the city my health has improved so much though. When I was young my parents saw this and they adopted some random kid right off the streets. He was angry and scared and so dirty it took days to scrub the dirt out of his hair. Helen- the lady that raised us- wanted to cut his hair but I wouldn't let her. Somehow, I knew he thought it was special."

"How long was this hair?"

"It's past his waist and he usually wears it in a braid. Or he did, anyway."

"What was his name?"

"Duo Maxwell. He took our name on but wouldn't part with Maxwell so we hyphenated it.

"Well Quatre, it seems like we have both lost someone we love to terrible circumstances."

"Yeah..." Quatre was tearing up and Wufei brought a rough hand up to wipe them away.

"Don't worry, Quatre. We will get through this, together. You saved my life and now I'm going to pay you back- no matter what it takes."

Wufei stood and took his hand, leading him up the ladder to their bunk.

It was colder this far from the fire but Quatre was snuggled into a hard, solid chest. The heat radiating from Wufei was enough to make him sweat under the blankets but he didn't pull away.

Instead he turned around and buried his face into Wufei's chest and smiled as arms enveloped him.

Yes, they would be safe- they could make it in this world as long as they had each other.

Wufei bent down and kissed his forehead- his lips were soft and warm. Quatre was bold in that moment and before he could change his mind he reached up and grasped Wufei by the nape of the neck. He looked up at him- waiting to see if the Ranger would kiss him, really kiss him.

Wufei did not disappoint as he kissed Quatre firmly on the lips. He had his own taste and smelled like the forest.

Quatre'd never been kissed before and decided it was the best thing he'd ever experienced.

/

A sound woke Quatre from a dead sleep and he peered through a haze into the darkness.

What was that?

Wufei was still asleep, mouth open, and Quatre couldn't help the feeling of butterflies in his stomach.

He crawled down to the foot of the mattress and looked over the railing to the floor below. The fire was getting low and there were more shadows than normal but Quatre could make out a figure sitting at the table.

"Are you done playing house now, Quatre?"

There, sitting in the one chair they had left, was Trowa. His red jacket was dark like blood and his arms lay on the table in front of him. Quatre's two swords sat there, between long arms and Quatre was sure that large broadsword was attached to his hip, like last time.

The blood drained from Quatre's face and he felt lightheaded.

"Trowa," he whispered.

"Yes, little one. You didn't think I would stop looking for you, did you?"

No he hadn't but the fairy tale life he'd been living the last week made him forget reality. Quatre could hear Wufei stirring behind him.

If he woke Trowa would surely kill him. He had to act fast- if Quatre lost another person he cared about he would lose his mind for sure.

"I will make you a deal."

"And what deal is that?"

"I'll come with you- I'll go anywhere you want me to go...just leave Wufei alone."

"Or?"

"Or I will continue to make your life a living hell. I'm sure it would be easier if I walked back to the city to your precious court rather than be carried."

"Hmm, it's a deal. The court wants nothing with this man- I'm sure the Trooping Feys will find him soon enough, regardless."

He stood and Quatre was painfully aware he was naked from the waist up as he looked down at the Ranger. Wufei was still asleep and he hoped he stayed that way.

The man could sleep through a hurricane.

"Come along then."

Quatre climbed down the ladder and gathered his clothing, putting them on as he went. He grabbed a piece of charcoal from the fire and wrote on the table:

TAKEN- DO NOT COME AFTER ME -Q

"Could you leave the swords here, please? He may need them."

Trowa nodded, uninterested, and motioned toward the door. As Quatre exited he knew he would never see this place again. When they got to the city he was as good as dead.

Wufei would be devastated but he could not allow him to be killed by Trowa. He only wished he'd taught him some sword fighting skills before he was tracked and caught.

Regardless, Trowa stopped him after they covered some distance and said, "Put your arms behind your back."

"I told you, I come willingly."

"Yes, and I remember all too well what happened last time. Do as I say or I will force you."

When Quatre hesitated Trowa reached up and pulled his arm back, looping the same twine-like substance around his wrist. It burned a little where it touched his skin and Quatre winced as Trowa pulled his other hand back as well.

"What is this stuff?"

"It's part Mandevilla vine and part Ivy. You can try to get away but it needs to be cut off…in our world it is also reinforced with Magic."

Trowa pushed him forward and he stumbled in the dark. If he fell he would have no way to catch himself now.

"Magic?"

"Yes, we lost it when our worlds merged. Just as you lost your power."

Well, at least it was a one for one exchange.

Trowa led him along the trail and Quatre knew it would only be a short time before they were back in the city and in front of the court.

And he was not looking forward to it.


	26. Chapter 26

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Twenty-Six:

DUO

The carriage ride was blissfully uneventful and in a short time they were there. Heero had moved over to the other side of the carriage to make room for Hilde who refused to let Duo go.

They travelled in silence the entire way and Heero bolted out of the carriage as soon as it stopped moving. Millardo banged on the roof and yelled, "Everyone out, we're here."

They stood outside a gate that encircled the small city. The grey wall branched to the left and right as far as the eye could see. There was a lack of vegetation surrounding the wall and Noin explained it was a blind; a lack of food to fuel a fire- should the Fey try to burn them out.

Duo thought it was a smart idea.

Soldiers looked down at them from atop the wall and someone shouted to open the gate. The carriage promptly took off back the way they came and Duo watched it go, one arm slung around Hilde.

"Where is he going?"

"Back to look for more survivors, however, if they are starting the new training regime tomorrow it is not likely they will be useful."

"Oh."

Hilde sniffled and he turned his attention back to her.

"Are you okay?"

"No- I'm so scared...what are these people?"

Heero snickered and Duo shot him a scathing look.

"These people are the good guys, Hilde, don't worry. You are in good hands."

She nodded and when the gate was fully open the group followed Millardo and Noin inside.

Ellershouse was bigger than he'd imagined and the Elves stopped what they were doing to stare.

"You would think they would be used to seeing Humans by now- enough have come through here the last few days."

"I agree, Millardo." Noin directed them down the main street until a courtyard appeared. To the left was an encampment of white tents Duo could only assume housed the survivors.

"Okay, I want all of you to stay out of trouble and stay here. The soldiers will take care of you now, until you choose a section for yourselves, okay?" Noin made to leave but Heero stopped her.

"What do you mean by 'choose a section'?"

"Everyone must help in the fight against the Fey, Heero. In order to get your city back you must fight for it. Now, we realize that not all Humans are the best fighters but we have a heath section and agri section among others. All will be explained to you tomorrow at orientation."

He let her go this time and the six humans stood in a group- unsure of what to do next.

"Well, we'd better find a place to bunk down tonight."

Heero ignored him and walked off, leaving them alone.

"Or not."

Duo watched the criminal leave, wondering why he was showing him the cold shoulder now that they had finally gotten to their destination.

Maybe he was still worried Duo would tell the authorities he was actually an escaped killer.

He shook his head and led Hilde toward and official looking man with a stack of papers in his hands. He could finally look for Quatre!

"Excuse me, we just arrived...I was wondering if there was a list of names of survivors here?"

The man tapped his foot and said, "No, no, no names yet. Just find an empty tent and stay there- tomorrow is the day all will be revealed."

Okay, this guy was seriously loopy.

"But..."

"Tomorrow."

Tomorrow then...and if he had to go through every single tent one at a time, he would.

/

Hilde and Duo found an empty tent and shared it with two others that had been in the carriage. It was twilight and there was no sign of Heero. Duo wondered if he would ever see him again.

The men introduced themselves as Broom and Roga- two friends from the city. They were all stuck in the tent for the remainder of the day and Duo thought it best to make allies here.

"Can you two tell me about the city? I wasn't there when it happened."

Roga whistled and said, "Man, you are lucky you missed it. The power went out and people appeared with swords and they just started killing people. I saw a little kid get killed by a man in uniform- I got so angry I picked up a piece of wood from the alley I was hiding in and ran him through."

Broom nodded, "And it's good riddance, I say. Those things aren't here to be friends- that's for damn sure."

Hilde lay huddled under a blanked he'd scavenged from a table and whispered when she spoke, "I was at my parent's house when the power went out. It happens all the time there so I went down to the basement to check the breaker. While I was down there I heard a commotion and by the time I got upstairs my mom was laying in the entry way- dead- and my father was in the living room. He was lying in a puddle of blood..."

She started crying again and Duo rubbed her back to soothe her. And he'd thought it rough in the Sheriff's van. Finding the dead bodies of the Sheriff's must be nothing compared to Hilde stumbling upon her parents bloody remains.

"I guess they left- they didn't know I was there so I hid until dark. That's when I packed a bag and left."

"I'm sorry Hilde...I wish there was something I could do."

She wiped her eyes and smiled, just the corners of her mouth lifting.

"What about you Duo? How did you escape?"

"Uh, I didn't. I was already outside the city," he had to think fast- no one could know where Heero came from, "and I wrecked my car on the highway. Some people showed up and tried to take me away but Noin and Millardo showed up and fought them."

"What about your brother?"

"I don't know."

"Oh."

"I'll try to find him tomorrow at orientation."

"I will help you."

They spent the night in the tent- huddled around telling stories. Roga was an exceptional storyteller- he was able to keep their minds off the atrocities that had befallen the group in the last few days.

/

The next morning a bugle went off and they all rushed to get up and ready. Today was the day he found Quatre. They had to shake Roga twice in order to wake him and found he was very grumpy in the morning.

Outside their tent people flocked to water basins. The water was cold but everyone was able to wash their faces and hands and make themselves decently presentable.

Duo was distracted when they were all herded to the middle of the square by soldiers. He was eyeing the crowd- looking for a teenager with a slight build and blond hair.

"Listen up everyone; I am Louisa- the representative for Humans at Ellershouse. Today is the day everyone has been waiting for. We will find answers to our questions and choose what sections we want to do our work in order to help the cause. We, Humans and Elves, are working together to ensure we get our city back."

The crowd was oddly quiet and Duo couldn't help but look for Heero. Was he okay? Had he left Ellershouse already?

A man stood on a podium and explained who exactly, had attacked the city.

"I am Sedici- head of the Ellershouse Council. The people who attacked you are the Fey. I believe you Humans refer to them as Faeries. The crowd murmured and he raised a hand to silence them.

"I have spoken with Louisa regarding your traditions and histories and these are not the Faeries from your faerie tales. They are cold hearted killers led by an angry Queen. The Solitary Fey received orders that if the Merge ever happened they would order the Trooping Feys to kill any Human they came across. We are not sure why our worlds merged but we now know that they Fey had a plan in place in case it did happen."

He paused and surveyed the crowd and Hilde's soft hand squeezed Duo's.

"You may have seen these Fey- they have civilians just like you but their military wears a red or green uniform. Solitary Fey's work alone on missions and are usually the most dangerous while Trooping Fey's are the ones you may have run into while trying to flee the city. We are Elves and we have always held the Fey is distain but they also have allies; Enniskillin who the Fey pay to keep us at bay. Right now you all need to make a choice. Everyone here at Ellershouse work for this cause and you will be no different. If you chose a section you are bound to it for life- or until the mission is complete. In this case- you will be released when the city is taken back from the Fey."

Hilde whispered, "What kind of section? What do we have to do, Duo?"

Duo shrugged, how would he know?

"We have a Dormitory, Garrison, Precinct, Penitentiary, Sanitarium, Market, Agri and Hospital section.

Your children will be taught at our dormitory until they become of age and all will be housed in the residential section. Those who are willing and able I implore you to chose the Garrison section- you will be needed to fight both the Fey and Enniskillin. If you have any background or interest in policing or corrections you should chose the Precinct or Penitentiary sections. Nurses and doctors should choose to work with the Hospital section and farmers should apply to work in the Agri section. If none of these tickle your fancy you can choose to sell wares at the Market, though we usually only reserve this for the elderly or feeble."

He paused again and said, "Even if you choose a section you may fail training and will be expelled from Ellershouse entirely. Choose wisely, for you are bound to it."

With that he left the podium and Louisa took over. Everyone looked panicked while discussing which they would choose. Duo knew as soon as they were explained to him- the Elves here would train him to fight- how to kill those who had tried to wipe them off the face of the Earth. It was a simple choice.

"You all have three hours to choose- starting now. If you have already made your choice come to the front in a single line and sign your name."

"What will you do Hilde?"

"I-I don't know..."

"You could work at the Hospital- that seems like an easy task?"

"Well...what are you going to do?"

"Fight, of course."

"Oh..."

Duo took her hand and made a path through the animated bodies, all confused and unsure of what to do. Roga and Broom followed them to the front and Roga heartily stated he would "give them hell" as well.

A long table was set up and each section had its own signup sheet. The signs were homemade on parchment paper and ink and each place had a legit feather quill to sign with. Duo spotted Heero at the very front of the line for the Garrison Section and he smiled; at least he was okay. Heero had no trace of a smile on his face as he signed in the first spot on the list and Duo let go of Hilde's hand for a moment to but in line behind him.

He put a hand on Heero's arm but he shrugged it off.

"Heero- you okay man?"

Heero turned as he finished writing his name and said, "Of course, Duo. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Uh, I dunno...you just disappeared yesterday."

"Maybe I didn't want to be found."

Well excuse me!

"Fine, have it your way then." What a jerk…acting like that after all they'd been through.

Duo picked up the discarded pen from the table and scribbled his name in the second spot. The line for Garrison was much shorter than any other- he guessed because most would rather not fight, or die in the process.

When he looked up Heero was gone and the man who sat opposite smiled and thanked him. Each section had a representative and the man had looked nice enough. How hard could it be?

He left the lineup and found he'd lost Hilde.

"Where the hell?"

When he found her she was bent over a table scratching her name into the Garrison Section and his mouth dropped open. Hilde was not the type to soldier nor was she strong enough to do so.

He ran over and grabbed the pen from her hand, "Hilde, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Signing up, what does it look like?"

"Yeah but..."

The representative coughed and cut in, "It's too late- the lady's name is already on the paper."

Hilde nodded and took off with Duo hot on her heels.

"What were you thinking Hilde?"

"I want to help out and I wanted to stay with you. This was the best way."

"No Hilde, the best way would have been staying out of the army! It's going to be hard...do you really think you can hack it?"

"I'm a cheerleader, I'm not exactly unfit."

"No, that's not what I mean. I meant do you think you can kill someone?"

"I don't know, can you?"

"If it's one of them, yeah."

"Maybe I made a mistake, Duo, but it's too late now, either way."

Roga and Broom ran over, massive grins on their faces. "You guys ready to kick some Fey ass or what?"

Duo was still angry that Hilde chose Garrison because of him but he was thankful he would know some of the people there.

"What happens now?" he asked.

Broom shrugged and said, "I guess we wait."

They sat on a rock ledge as people lined up and Duo kept an eye open for Quatre. What would he do if his brother wasn't there?

Surely he would have seen him by now...

Hilde lay with her head on Duo's lap as he watched the crowd. He spotted Heero to the left; standing in shadow.

What was his game? Did he flirt with him as part of a sick, twisted game?

He remembered Heero's hot skin and the way he acted when they were alone and Duo was determined not to play.


	27. Chapter 27

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Twenty-Seven:

QUATRE

The trek back to the city was short and uneventful. It seemed that Trowa knew every path, every road and where it led. It made getting to the city; and learning his fate, that much faster.

When dawn approached and Quatre grew tired of the silence he decided it would be strategically advantageous if he asked questions, and lots of them.

The vines chaffed his wrists raw and he tried scratching them on his hip- with no relief.

"So Trowa, where are you from?"

At first Quatre wasn't sure if Trowa would delight him with an answer and was pleasantly surprised when he did.

"The Otherworld, or as you people like to call it, the Realm of Faerie," he chuckled low in his throat, "but it isn't so much of a realm as a prison."

"Why do you say that?"

"People like me, Solitary Fey's, we take our orders from the Queen. Our jobs were originally to serve and protect the citizens but have grown to include watching over the Trooping Fey's."

"Those are the guy's in green uniforms, right?"

Trowa nodded, "Yes, they have become increasingly more violent lately and us Solitary Fey's are the minority. Once the Enniskillin took over the Trooping Fey's training they massed produced unthinking killing machines. It is proving to be more difficult to keep them in line as each day wears on."

"What does your Queen think of all this?"

"She doesn't care- I don't think many do so long as they attend their parties and eat their pastries."

"Ah."

The water was coming into view with the sun rising, ever so blue, above it and it was a grand sight to see.

They stopped to rest and Quatre lay at the bottom of a tree- moss comforting his head like a pillow. Wufei would have woken up to a cold mattress by now.

Quatre wondered what he would do- how he would feel at losing someone special once again. Maybe Wufei didn't think of him in that regard- perhaps he viewed Quatre as a lost sheep that needed to be tended.

No, Wufei isn't like that...he sees me for who I really am.

"You said we were 'playing house', were you watching us?"

An unmistakable blush dusted Trowa's cheeks as he ducked his head.

"Yes- for reconnaissance, of course."

"Why did you pick that moment of all to take me away?"

Trowa was silent.

"Well?"

"I did not...agree with how he treated you."

"How he kissed me, you mean?"

Trowa looked sharply at him and said, "No, why would I care about that?"

Hmm, looks like someone might be jealous.

Why would Trowa care about him? Quatre was a normal guy with average looks and there was absolutely nothing remarkable about him.

There was another question that was nagging on Quatre's mind and he felt a strong urge to ask it.

"What's going to happen to me now?"

Trowa stood next to a tree and Quatre was sure he'd seen a worried look cross his face before he said, "You will go before the council and my sister and by charged by them. I do not know what they have planed for you yet."

"Bullshit! You must know. They will kill me, won't they? How will you do it?" Quatre gestured at the sword that hung from Trowa's waist, "Will you run me through? Cut off my head? Hang me?"

He kicked at the ground by Trowa's feet- angered the Fey refused to answer. The pine needles underfoot scattered this way and that- covering Trowa's heavily booted feet.

"Tell me, or are you too much of a coward?!"

Trowa backed away, his hair hiding his face, and he grasped the trunk of a small birch tree and whispered, "I think they will have you branded as a Dasha."

That was not the answer he'd been expecting and it quieted the teen. He picked at the needles on the ground behind him with his fingers and asked, "And what does that mean?"

"It means you will be charged, taken away from the court and sent to the Dasha Dormitories until such time as you are chosen for personal branding by a Fey."

"Why would they want to do that?"

Trowa sat down in front of him and growled, "Stop prying, Quatre, into things you do not want the answers to."

Quatre closed his eyes and whispered, "But I do want the answers. Please, tell me."

Who was he to decide what knowledge Quatre did and did not possess? If it had something to do with his life- or the ending of it- didn't he deserve that little bit of humanity?

He could feel Trowa's eyes on him and popped his own open to stare back. Trowa's were almost silver in the light and made him seem ethereal. He was aware he was being challenged and was determined not to lose.

"I'm a big boy, I can take it. Just tell me."

"Fine," Trowa sat back and delved into a story that left Quatre breathless.

"It is said a long time ago our worlds merged- just for a few days time. Your world was at war- many countries fighting a bitter and long battle that lasted years. A young Fey named Dasha was in what you call Europe when it happened. The elders say she fell in love with a young soldier and refused to leave your world. Little much else is known except that she handfasted him before our worlds flickered and separated. She was held here- to this world because of that."

"Handfasting? What is that?"

"It is what happens when two people declare their love, voluntarily, for each other in a grand ceremony."

"Oh, marriage."

Trowa shrugged and pushed on, "My world knew the merge could happen again and we planned for it. Most of the rich citizens would like to stay here- it is just a new adventure for them full of excitement and danger. So we needed Humans in order to handfast to them."

"So you herded us like cattle!"

"Only those who were under certain specifications- they had to be young, physically fit and attractive."

Quatre was near tears- there was no way he would be taken like that just to be given to some rich Fey so they could be anchored here forever.

"No, it's not going to happen...I refuse to help you!"

Trowa grasped his arm roughly, "You will do as I say and if you want to live I suggest you do as the Court demands."

"No."

Trowa reached back a hand- ready to bring it down across Quatre's pale cheek but stopped when the younger man winced away.

"You aren't as strong as you would like to think you are, little one."

He stood, pulling Quatre up with him, and they were on their way once again.

The city was getting ever closer and Quatre knew if he didn't escape soon he was as good as dead.


	28. Chapter 28

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter twenty-Eight:

DUO

...and wait they did. A full week had passed before the Ellershouse authorities had each survivor separated into a specific Section and, staying true to Governmental fashion, they were behind schedule.

During that time Heero remained a ghost and Duo stood at the gate every day searching for Quatre.

More carriages had arrived with survivors but otherwise it was an uneventful week. The one time a carriage arrived housing someone with blond hair Duo had run up to the door in excitement, only to find it was some girl in a private school uniform with pink berets in her hair.

He'd turned away in disappointment and moped around the encampment. It was useless. Duo had talked to every official he could get his hands on, including Louisa and Sedici.

The conversations were sullen but they were all very adamant that Quatre was dead and that he needed to move on with his life. he was told that others needed him now and that was all that mattered.

Duo was determined to be the best soldier that he could possibly be.

The four had woken that morning thinking it would be just another uneventful day but were startled by the bugle.

"If I ever get my hands on that damned thing so help me..." Roga groaned and covered his ears as they made their way to the square.

Louisa stood there on the podium and she raised her hands for quiet.

"I apologize for the delay but we had to sort out some issues regarding housing. Now, if those under the age of fifteen would leave the square via the blue road headed east please...just follow the professors."

The parade was automatically turned into a tearful farewell for parents and children as they were herded away for the Dormitories.

"Now, would the Agri section leave via the green road headed west please?"

Large, heavily muscled men and women, started for the green road- some even carried their own shovels.

"Market Section next please...just follow, oh right...you see them." Louisa was losing control of the crowd as people jittered this way and that until they found the Elves holding signs in English.

"Ugh, come on Garrison already..." Duo was losing his mind and his patience at the same steady rate.

Hilde had tried to talk to him for the past week but realized nothing was to be done when Duo was mourning for his lost brother. The group, all four of them, finally realized they were all that's left of their families.

The Precinct and Penitentiary Sections were called out together as were the Sanatorium and Hospital Sections. Those last two were largely populated with females and Duo nudged Hilde, "That's where you should be."

The girl looked at her feet in dismay.

"And finally, last but not least, the Garrison Section. Take a look around everyone- these are the people you will be getting close to so consider them your new family."

Louisa exited the stage and the Garrison Section just looked at each other. There had been no direction for them at all.

Duo surveyed those leftover from the crowd. It was mostly men but he could see a few strong looking females. The girl in the carriage, Relena, he'd heard her name said a few times the last few days, was also with them. How she thought she could be beneficial to the group was beyond him. Almost more so than Hilde.

People were asking questions like "What do we do now?" but Duo decided that he would hurry up and wait. He took a seat near a wall and watched the crowd's banter rise until some were yelling.

"You all sounds like whiny ants."

A hush fell over the crowd as a voice calmly and quietly spoke. He did not stand upon the raised podium but in the midst of the crowd.

"And what do we do with ants, Noin?"

"We crush them, Millardo."

"Yes and we will do just that," he raised his voice higher so all could hear and said, "Your first challenge is to get atop the wall. Do this now."

The group of thirty or so Humans looked at each other in confusion- training didn't start this soon, did it?

Duo stood up as a figure blurred in front of him and saw as he climb the wall- rock by rock. The man wore sweatpants and that awful green tank top that was owned by the one and only Heero Yuy.

The crowd watched, amazed as his strong fingers searched for handholds in the rock face. His muscles were bulging with the strain of it and Duo wondered how some of them would make it.

No way Relena or Hilde could make it up that wall.

As Heero crested the top an Elven soldier met him, grasping his arm and pulling him the rest of the way- clapping his shoulder in respect.

"I want him."

Duo wheeled around, searching for the small, feminine voice that so rudely claimed Heero. It belonged to Relena and from that moment on Duo disliked her- everything from the rich, stuck up voice to the pink barrettes that adorned her hair.

She looked over at him and smiled a sly smile. He guessed she had seen his reaction.

There was no way Heero Yuy would go for a girl like that...or would he?

"Well, what are you all waiting for- an invitation? Get up there!" Noin shouted and they all ran for the wall.

Duo gripped the rough rock, his fingertips only just grabbing hold. If he fell he could be seriously injured, or worse, paralyzed. He tried not to look down.

It was all in his head; he just had to be motivated enough to get to the top.

Duo pictured Heero giving him a congratulatory smile when he got to the top and it spurred him to hurry along the rock face.

When he got there an arm came down and gathered him- pulling him up the rest of the way.

It belonged to the same Elf who had pulled Heero up and Duo felt disappointed. Heero stood back from the wall- uninterested in who would make it to the top.

From this high he had a view of all the different Sections that made up Ellershouse- even the top of the Garrison was visible from this height.

There were Elves standing in the square- watching them as they tried, failed, and tried again.

Surprisingly, Hilde pulled herself to the top and she clapped her hands in excitement. He looked for Relena and found the girl was like a MacGyver...she was unable to physically pull herself up but created a hook and climbed up the rope.

When her little booted feet hit the top she smiled and pulled the rope up, leaving the others stranded below.

When they were finished there were six people below who failed to make the wall.

Millardo approached them and said, "You have failed your very first challenge. Normally you would be expelled from Ellershouse but under the circumstances you will be allowed to choose one other Section you would like to work in. You may leave now."

"That is such bullshit, if Relena had left the rope everyone would have made it up," Duo was angry- there shouldn't have been any failures today.

As Millardo took them away to their new homes Noin yelled up for the rest to, "Come along and use the stairs this time."

They made the short walk to the Garrison in silence, some mourning the loss of their friends. Duo double checked and made sure Roga and Broom were indeed still with them.

The Garrison was just an old stone building with a large open space. No little rooms branched off of it- it was just this long, open space that echoed with every sound.

Duo wondered where all the weapons were or if they were even allowed to use them.

Hilde followed him wherever he went and sat next to him on the floor when Noin motioned for them to do so.

Duo searched for Heero and found him sitting next to Relena- a sight that made his blood boil.

Millardo, in all his regal standard, entered the room and everyone straightened up where they sat.

"Now, you must choose one more time. This is the most important decision you will ever face in your lifetime. You must choose a Challenge partner- someone who you will eat, sleep, live, train and if need be, die with."

He lifted an arm and pointed at Noin.

"My partner is an excellent tracker as well as a marksman with a bow. She has many talents that has kept me alive in the last few years we have been together. When you make your choice, make it well for it may mean the difference between life and death.

If something happens and one or both of you fail this training program you will not be allowed to repeat it. You will forfeit your very names, dress in black, and be sent out as Solo killers. Your missions will be the most dangerous and your lives will be worth as much as dirt so I suggest you pick wisely and pay attention to everything we teach you here at the Garrison."

"Also," Noin took a step forward and said, "The partner must also pick you as well. We fight in teams of two- that is the strategy that has kept soldiers alive for hundreds of years."

Hilde poked him in the side and he knew that she would pick him and he her.

"Heero Yuy- you were the first to make it over the wall so you may have first choice." Millardo gestured for him to stand.

All eyes were on Heero as he stood in the back of the room. Relena's hand was clutching his calf and she looked up at him with charm.

Duo rolled his eyes; it was pathetic really.

Heero paused as his eyes surveyed the crowd, stopped on Duo for a brief moment, and then on Relena who sat at his feet.

Of course he would choose her, why wouldn't he?

"I choose, Duo Maxwell-Winner."

Relena's face fell, as did Hilde's but Duo missed all of it. His heart pounded and the blood drained from his face. Heero's steady gaze held his as he awaited his answer.

Could he abandon Hilde like that? He wanted to pass- wanted it more than he wanted that soccer scholarship before the world got all fucked up.

"Do you accept the invitation as Challenge partner, Duo?" Noin's voice was soft and dragged him out of his revere.

Everyone was looking at him with jealously.

"Yes. I accept."

Duo wanted Heero Yuy as well.


	29. Chapter 29

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Twenty-Nine:

QUATRE

When Trowa led his captive to the heart of the city Quatre was left speechless by what they had done with the place. He couldn't say it wasn't an improvement.

As soon as their feet hit a paved road fey citizens watched them warily, unsure of why such a high level Fey was escorting one Human teenager to the downtown core.

There were large piles of household garbage- old furniture, television sets and refrigerators littered the side walks Trooping Fey's were hard at work using horses and trailors to shuttle them away.

"It's a city wide clean up this week. We have no use for your technology so we are taking it away to these large areas where you all have been placing your garbage."

"The dump."

Trowa nodded.

Quatre's emotions were running on high- the sight of these people taking over their city as if they hadn't murdered countless people for it.

He shook his head in dismay and said, "You know, we never would have done this to you- if we had known you existed."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Quatre."

"And I can't see our soldiers picking up a little kid and killing him for no reason other than they wanted our resources and our way of life. Honestly- it isn't that great here."

"It must be better than Faerie."

"I don't understand why it was so bad, Trowa. Help me understand!"

As they walked down the middle of the road- something that would have been impossible just weeks earlier for the traffic- the Trooping Fey's saluted Trowa as they passed.

Quatre didn't think he deserved that much respect.

"You see, thousands of years ago we were banished to our Realm when the Human's became aware of our existence. The Elves were given reprieve- they were always liked more than my kind. They were allowed to live above ground- unseen. The Humans banished us to the underground raths. That's why today you see no remnants of our structures but the Elven structures remain here, in this world."

"There are Elves as well?"

Trowa shook his head and smiled, wrapping one hand around Quatre's forearm. He led him through spectators that were gathering by the numbers when they realized a Solitary fey had caught the troublesome Human that harmed one of their own.

"There is much more to out world than you realize, Quatre," he lowered his voice lest anyone overhear, "Everything was going fine with our banishment- until just over a hundred years ago naive Human settlers built a city on the largest Faerie Rath ever created."

Quatre realized Trowa was laughing at him as they found themselves down town already. They had covered ground very quickly and yet Quatre's asthma sill had yet to act up. Perhaps the forest air really did wonders for him.

He realized he'd forgotten his puffer at the cabin and chastised himself for his stupidity. With any luck he was cured.

The masts of the Citadel loomed above them as they walked and he looked up at the massive hill that remained unchanged since he was born.

The largest Faerie rath ever?

He whispered in awe, "The citadel? That is the largest rath ever created?"

There was a twinkle in Trowa's eye as Quatre began to understand. They were passed by a running group and Quatre had to look twice to realize they were not in fact Human because it was such a Human thing to do- exercising in a group for motivation. Some people were even dressed in jeans, knee high boots and hoodies. They wore hats that covered the crown of their heads but let their pointy ears be shown.

Honestly, they looked like hipsters.

They were really alike in many ways. The Fey were living in Human apartment buildings with no drapes that Quatre could see- something he chalked up to lighting issues.

They had running groups and what resembled daycares and when they passed the school there were little faces in the windows.

"Are you using our hospitals too?"

"Yes."

"You've taken over everything."

"Yes."

He paused for a moment at the soccer field- the blue light was fading but Fey teenagers were playing a game on horseback. Quatre assumed they housed the animals at the old Halifax Bengal Junior Lancers' stable just across the way.

The field was lively- no remnants of dead bodies or terror or blood.

"What did you do with the bodies?"

"We burned them and disposed of them at sea."

Quatre wasn't sure if that was the most humane way but was thankful they hadn't let them sit there to rot. If he'd been forced to walk past Duo's decomposing body he would have lost his mind.

"Come along Quatre- word of our arrival will have spread to the Court already. They are waiting for us."

Quatre was so desolate he followed Trowa without a second look back at the field. He envied and hated those children even though he realized they should not be faulted for their parents misguided mistakes.

He squared his shoulders and said grimly, "I hope they sentence me to death."

The hand squeezed his arm and Trowa said, "You shouldn't want that...even I don't want that for you."

"Why not?"

"I don't know why I want you to live...I just do."

Oh.

But Quatre wasn't sure if that was enough.

/

The Court was set up in an honest to God modern day courthouse in downtown Halifax.

The people in the room were dressed in robes- multifaceted reds and greens and gold. The large wooden oak doors were opened by two Trooping Feys who saluted as they entered and Trowa bowed down to the council. Quatre raised his chin up in defiance.

I will not show them my fear.

"State the prisoner's name."

Trowa's voice rang out in the courtroom- his voice hollow and strained, " Quatre Winner."

The elder Fey looking down disapprovingly at the Human and asked a woman holding a black briefcase, "What is his crime?"

"Charging at, and disarming, a Solitary Fey during the Merge."

"And what were the consequences of his actions?"

"Maiming the Solitary Fey- rendering her useless for the duration of the Merge and a loss of manpower in the time it took tracking and locating him."

Quatre gasped as Catherine entered a door behind the court members. Her face was covered in a linear bandage one would find in a Wal-Mart first aid kit. It still bled a little and Quatre was sure it would be a slow and painful process of recovery. She would likely have a scar forever.

He lowered his eyes to the floor- her scathing look of hatred made him dizzy.

He was forced to stand still while the Court erupted in a heated debate and he could only make out snippets of the conversation.

The words 'Dasha', 'death' and 'dismemberment' all came up more than once and he cringed at all of them.

To die here would be a good thing- but it didn't mean he wasn't scared.

When the court quietened the elder turned his focus back to Quatre.

"Set him down for sentencing."

Trowa sucked in a breath and placed a hand on Quatre's back, nudging him towards the floor.

Quatre resisted and looked at his captor- pleading with his eyes and not his mouth.

"Kneel, Quatre. Please..."

Quatre knelt, his knees banging into the cold and rough hardwood floor. He hung his head- refusing to look at anyone.

Trowa's warm hand remained on the back of his neck and was a small reassurance in the midst of such agonizing suspense.

"You, Quatre Winner, defiant resistor- are sentenced to the Dasha where you will be a ward until such time as you are chosen for hand fasting. Under normal circumstances you would be put to death right here by your captor but we are in short demand of viable Humans. Consider yourself lucky. If, however, I see you here again you will be put to death...no questions asked."

Trowa's grip on his neck tightened and Quatre's heart pounded in his chest.

"You will be branded immediately."

Dasha...Dasha...I would rather die!

There was movement out of the corner of his eye and a Trooping Fey stalked closer- a look of pleasure upon his face.

He held a long metal pole that was fire red at the end.

Branded...oh no...anything but that...

Quatre tried to lift his head but now knew why Trowa was holding him thus- it was not to comfort it was to imprison him. He had never felt more helpless in his life.

No one was there to save him.

Duo...

The brand was placed on his upper sternum and above his heart. It seared into his flesh and he cried out in anger and terror and pain.

It hurt more than the time he'd fallen out of the tree...more than the time he'd cut himself so badly he needed stitches and even more than his heart when it was ripped in half when Duo died.

When it was over the court was cleared and it was just Trowa and Catherine who hovered above him where he lay on the ground. His head was cradled in Trowa's lap and he was so disoriented his eyesight was affected. Their shapes were blurry and distorted.

"I wish they'd gone with dismemberment."

"Hush, Catherine."

"I will not. This- this leech, took away my beauty! I will be ugly forever!"

Quatre whispered through dry, cracked lips, "I think you were always ugly on the inside...I just helped the outside match the inside."

"Why you insolent little..."

"Enough, both of you." Trowa was angered and his tone was just enough to shut the both of them up.

Quatre looked down at his chest and was horrified to see the perfect circle emblazoned on his skin. He was sure he would never get rid of the smell of burning flesh.

Trowa smoothed his Quatre's hair from his sweaty forehead and said, "It will heal...you will go through this once more when you are selected by your mate. Each Fey has his or her own emblem and it will be used to indicate who you belong to."

"You said it was voluntary, right? If it is, I will never love one of you."

Trowa winced as Catherine smirked and said, "If you don't you will be killed and I look forward to the day."


	30. Chapter 30

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Thirty:

DUO

It took Hilde an entire day before she could talk to Duo about his choice. She told him how betrayed she felt- how alone and unsure of what would happen to her now that he was with someone else.

And Duo found he didn't care about her stress- the girl should have had enough brains to realize this Section was not for her. Once her quill touched parchment and her name was on the list she was on her own.

If Hilde could prove herself worthy and pass selection all the power to her...but if she dragged herself down Duo was unwilling to go down with her. He had a goal and he was determined to reach it.

When Heero stood and said his name in that harsh, unyielding voice of his, Duo knew he was hooked.

This is what he wanted- Heero Yuy- all to himself. Add enough training to take down as many Fey's as they possibly could and it was a sweet offer he would accept again and again.

Quatre's killers will be put to justice by their hands. When Ellershouse unleashed the two of them on the city it would be theirs- or it would burn.

The first week of training consisted of a harsh physical exam. When they ran they did so hard and long and by the time they were finished only a few remained at the front with Millardo.

This was not a challenge...if it were most would be expelled for not finishing.

Heero was a decent runner but Duo's long legs made it easy for him to keep up with Millardo's looping gate.

Pushups and situps and climbing that damned wall were incessant tasks they preformed day in and day out. Once they had come back from a six hour long workout and found their food was being held by Elven partners up on the wall.

They had to climb up and take it from them- physically.

Most had gone hungry that night...namely Hilde, Roga and Broom. Roga had felt bad for the poor girl and invited her to be his partner- neither were the greatest but they worked hard and did not complain.

Broom, on the other hand, was stuck with Relena. She made him do all of the work and took credit for it when it was done.

Duo hoped with all his heart that Millardo and Noin were not blind and could see how useless and manipulative the girl really was.

Broom took on both Elves atop that wall in the fight for their food and lost because the odds were two against one. Relena waited at the bottom for her food to be brought to her.

She was a waste of space, pure and simple. The girl would not stop her incessant quest for Heero's affection and that made it impossible for Duo to even tolerate her.

Even her voice chilled him to his bones.

"Heeerrroooo... where are you?"

It was dark and they were in the confines of the Garrison- their duties done for the night. Week two was to begin in the morning and Noin's description unnerved everyone.

"The training program for new Challenge Partners includes five weeks and five levels of training.

Level one will include intelligence gathering, basic soldiering skills and intense physical training.

Level two will include stealth training- use of camouflage and basic survival skills in multiple types of terrain.

Level three will include classes on heavy weapons such as a broadsword and smaller backup weapons like daggers, should you come to need them in combat.

Level four is where the training will get easier. The physical aspect will be put aside for more life impacting lessons on mercy- when and where you should use it and if you shouldn't use it at all. We will also teach you the ways the Fey can manipulate you in combat. There will still be a physical session each day but it will be shorter and less intense.

And lastly, level five is the graduation level. If candidates pass this part of selection you will move on, with your Challenge partner, to missions into the city. This level includes lessons on customs, integrity and pride.

The skills you will be taught will help keep you alive as long as possible. I suggest you take what we teach and apply it to real life. Once you have passed L1 to L5 you will have to pass the last challenge, separately."

Duo was sure when that time came they would find out how worthless Relena really is.

Duo could still hear her, searching for his partner. Heero currently sat on his bunk- Duo's legs propped up on his lap. He was kneading Duo's sore, achy muscles before the hardships of the next day.

This was a godsend. His fingers knew exactly where to touch, where to press, in order for him to feel relief.

They all wore the same uniforms- a boring shade of grey- and Duo missed his American Eagle and Aeropostale clothes. He felt a little like Quatre...dressed so that he might fade away in the background and be unseen.

"You know, I never expected that I'd be here, in Ellershouse, training to kill something I never knew existed. Just a little over two weeks ago I was planning out what schools to apply to and which one had the best soccer team."

He shook his head in dismay, placing an arm over his eyes. Heero said nothing but Duo was determined to get him talking. They were alone, and good things usually happened when they were alone.

"Hey Heero, what were you doing two weeks ago?"

"You know what I was doing- you and the whole eastern seaboard."

"Oh, right...you dangerous escaped con, you!"

Heero's head jerked up and his eyes darted around- looking to see if someone had overheard.

"Shut up Duo. What if someone had heard you?"

"Oh relax, we are in it to win it. No one is going to get rid of their star pupil this close to being the best team they have ever trained."

Duo's skin hurt where Heero's fingers kneaded more roughly than before and he grasped Heero's hand, "Yo man, chill out. You're hurting me."

"...sorry."

"Sheesh, you would think I was talking bad about your momma or something. Take a chill pill."

"I just don't want that to get out. No matter what you think it could affect the status I have here in the training program."

"Yeah, okay."

They lay in silence and Duo thought of life before the Merge.

"Hey, Ro...what happened to the other guy?"

"What other guy?"

"It said on the radio that two prisoners escaped that day...I remember because that was the day Quatre's father died. I heard it on the radio on the morning news."

Heero's eyes were downcast and there was an awkwardly silent.

"What," Duo joked, "You kill him too?"

After more silence Duo sat up and said, "Oh my God, you did didn't you?"

Heero stood up and made to leave but Duo caught his arm and pulled him close whispering, "Why, why did you do it, Heero? You just can't help yourself, or what?"

Heero's cold eyes glared at him but Duo was not going to back down. After spending the week together he forgot what his companion was; a tax burden on society and a sociopath. He'd forgotten about the various people whose lives ended when they met with Heero Yuy.

"No. He needed to die...he was a bad man that was going to hurt many others. I hadn't intended on his escape...I was only focused on mine. When I learned he got away as well I tracked him and put him down. A man like that belongs in prison- not outside, like me."

"I think you belong in a prison, Heero...maybe they can find a place for you at the prison here."

Heero growled and took Duo by the hand, leading him out of the Garrison and into the Market. People were out and about and Duo thought about calling for help but realized he'd likely be dead before he got a chance to say why he needed it.

When they got to a tight and darkened alleyway Heero pushed Duo against the brick wall between two crates.

There was no one to help him out here- everyone was too busy with their work to notice two young men in Garrison uniforms hiding in the alley.

It was dark but Duo knew Heero was angry- more so than he'd ever seen him before.

"I told you what would happen if you snitched. You could have an accident...they could get me a new partner."

Heero placed his forearm against Duo's throat- the force compressing his trachea until he could barely breathe.

Is this how Quatre felt all those times the asthma would take hold of him?

It was an unpleasant feeling- up there with realizing your whole world had crashed in the span of a few hours.

"Y-you wouldn't," he breathed.

Heero had a murderous look on his face.

"Try me."

"I've seen the way you look at me, Heero."

The pressure on his throat eased slightly as the criminal pulled away in shock.

"I've seen it- and I don't believe you would kill me, even if I went to the police about you."

Heero licked his lips and stammered, "You're wrong. I would kill you without a second thought. You mean nothing to me."

"Really? Then why me, huh? Why'd you choose me when there were so many others to choose from?"

"Because you are just like me- you want to kill and need a reason for it. This is my reason- protecting you will be my reason."

Duo paled.

Maybe he was wrong all along about him- maybe Heero really was a psychopath.

If so, he would need to tread carefully from now on.

Duo's body went lax and he slouched into the wall, head leaning on hard brick and clumps of mortar. Heero was ever ready- waiting for Duo to confess he was going to the authorities or that he would keep his secret.

"Kill me Heero- I'm going to tell."

"No!" Heero gritted his teeth and wrapped two strong hands around Duo's throat, pale in the moonlight, and squeezed.

This was it- Duo never expected to die in the middle of nowhere with the one man he'd ever been even remotely attracted to- yet here he was.

He coughed and sputtered and Heero squeezed harder-his nails cutting skin.

Duo dropped to the ground, his vision blackening and he knew it was over.

"Damn it Duo, why couldn't you just do as you're told?"

Heero's fingers slipped from his neck and Duo took in large gulps of air- his chest burned from lack of oxygen.

"H-Heero?"

From where he lay on the ground, clutching his neck, Duo watched as Heero's fists pounded on the brick wall. He was on his knees in front of it, his head hanging down. Blood dripped from his scrapped knuckles but he didn't seem to notice.

Heero asked a question that Duo thought he knew the answer to.

"Why can't I kill you, Duo? Why?"


	31. Chapter 31

ELLERSHOUSE

Chapter Thirty-One:

QUATRE

Quatre had been attacked, tracked, stolen from a very attractive man's warm bed, forced to walk or die- and now this.

This, Quatre firmly believed, was the worst thing to happen to him yet.

He had been marched up the hill by Trowa himself and then left with a Trooping Fey. It was like going from a teddy bear to a grizzly bear. The man dressed in green did not smile or talk or really even breathe. Well- Quatre knew he obviously had to- but it was just that he was so still.

There was a guard at the gate who stood watch on the city, armed to the teeth and Quatre knew it must be an important place that held a lot of important people.

The Fey walked him across the gravel parade and up a steep incline to the grass covered wall. From up here he was so close to the white masts he'd looked at every day from the classroom window. They were so much larger in person and housed strange flags- mostly silver with black discs underneath. Perhaps they were sending some super important encrypted message with it.

His hands were still bound and they stung more than ever before. He was mentally and physically exhausted and needed a good nights sleep and some food.

Quatre bet he wouldn't feel bad about snaring a rabbit now- he was that ravenous.

The Fey led him down a steep set of stairs into a hole cut out from the earth. This made Quatre's heart flutter...is this where the Dasha come to be chosen? If so, he may never emerge from it.

The hole turned out to be a dark room with two cells- one of which had an old cannon- gun- or whatever, in the corner. The head pointed out the window that was too small to crawl through and the end was up on a wooden platform. There were four disgusting old cots that were, thankfully, empty.

He'd been unbound and stripped naked and given some terrible pyjamas to wear in their place. He had no idea what they were thinking with that one. Perhaps they think he would be too embarrassed to run around the city attempting escape in superman pyjama's.

He really wished they were Batman.

Regardless, Trowa was gone and the Fey left as well. He was stuck here- at their mercy- and his chest burned.

He hated it here- the city was not where he wanted to be. He wanted nothing more than to make it back to the cabin in the forest and the beautiful, compassionate, ranger that waited for him.

Quatre cursed this place.

His chest burned as he tried to see something- anything- outside the window. After no such luck he crawled into the cot, barefoot, and lay there shivering.

/

A few hours and much shivering later, Quatre was still awake and in pain. It was just too cold to get to sleep- his feet were freezing and so were his hands.

A scrape echoed in the darkness and he sat up, alarmed.

"Hello? Who's there?"

It was like a bad horror movie- why didn't he just get up and check the closet by himself? Those people always got killed first so he was going to stay right where he was.

"Quatre."

It was Trowa and Quatre chastised his over-active imagination- blaming it on exhaustion.

"Come with me."

Maybe he was here to save him. Trowa never seemed to be as bad as these other Fey. He was stern and strong but not angry and mean.

He swung his legs over the side and tried to stand but his feet were numb and he couldn't feel them to walk.

"I can't walk, my feet are too cold."

"I'll carry you."

Trowa was not dressed in his scarlet uniform- he felt this rather than saw this when Trowa bent down and picked him up as if he weighed nothing.

It was more scratchy but soft- an undershirt perhaps.

"I told the Trooping Fey I would take over your watch for the night. He didn't mind- he'd rather spend it with his family anyway."

"Where are you taking me?"

Trowa carried him up the narrow staircase and out into the moonlight and back down across the parade.

"To my room."

"Oh, you live here?" Quatre's teeth were chattering.

"Yes," he nodded, "All Solitary Feys do- the Trooping Fey are housed elsewhere. The ones with family are generally sent home to them when they are not on duty."

"It makes sense. I don't much like them."

"Who?"

"The Trooping Fey. They seem like they've lost their humanity or something."

"You have to be Human for that, Quatre."

"Oh yeah..."

They walked to a door with an old style metal latch that Trowa flicked and pushed open. He kicked it shut behind them and Quatre couldn't help but picture the traditional 'carrying the bride over the threshold' and chuckled, laying his head on Trowa's shoulder.

The room was small but heated and a lantern flickered in the corner on a small table beside a bed with red blankets.

"So you are like an officer, right? That must mean you get nice rooms."

"I guess so."

Trowa laid him gently on the bed and touched his feet with the back of his hand.

"You are freezing! Here, get under the covers to warm up."

Trowa helped him shimmy underneath the heavy blankets and he immediately felt better.

"Thank you."

The Fey nodded and busied himself elsewhere in the room and from his vantage point on the bed Quatre could see Trowa was only wearing pyjamas as well. His were oversized and an off white but they looked warm.

"I hope you don't mind but we will be sharing the bed."

Trowa's cheeks blushed pink as Quatre said, "Are you expecting...anything from me? Because you won't get it..."

"No," he said firmly, "No. I would never touch you if you did not want it."

"And if I did?"

Trowa looked at him sharply.

"It would not matter- in the morning you would be going to the Dasha ward and bought by someone with high stature and wealth...regardless of what would happen here."

"I see."

Quatre was getting sleepy- the heat and stress finally catching up with him.

Trowa slid in under the blankets and stayed a respectable distance from Quatre.

His voice thick with sleep Quatre asked, "Why did you really wait so long to collect me from that cabin?"

It took Trowa so long to answer that Quatre was jolted awake by his answer.

"I didn't like seeing you with him."

"Hmm."

"The kiss just made it more real to me, I think."

Quatre turned on his side carefully- so as to not strain his burnt chest- and really looked at Trowa for the first time.

He had no trace of malice whatsoever in his face- he was just doing his duty, however wrong it may be.

My, what an enigma this Trowa really is turning out to be.

/

In the morning he was awakened by Trowa's gentle touch on his shoulder.

"Get up- it's time."

He sat up, groggily- rubbing his eyes and asked, "It's time for what?"

"To report to the Dasha. It's a bit of a walk."

"Okay."

Trowa brought him clothing to wear- an outfit of entirely white and Quatre hoped they didn't expect him to keep it clean.

They were half way down Citadel Hill before Quatre realized Trowa forgot to bind his hands.

"I know what you're thinking and you can forget about it."

"You know too much," Quatre complained and scuffed his feet along in protest. He really did not want to get where they were going.

Trowa led him across the bridge and they took a moment to admire the view. The downtown core was lit up with the blue shade of the morning sun and the water lapped the shore. He could see his beloved dockyard and it made him tear up.

"I am sorry about your home...and your family."

Trowa placed an arm on his back and rubbed in small circles- it was his way of making him feel better.

"If I asked you to let me jump, would you?"

"Never."

"Then lets go before I decide to try it anyway."

Quatre sniffled as they crossed the empty bridge- passed the toll booths that had seen thousands of cars pass through their gates and down to the old abandoned military compound.

Shannon Park- the empty, dirty barrack system even the military deemed too unsafe and unclean to use.

Quatre thought there was no way it could get any worse.

Outside, in a large courtyard, young teenage boys and girls milled around- talking in groups and exercising. It seemed like a likely place for a shopping trip if you were a rich Fey worried about getting stuck in an underground rath.

As they neared the fence a shrill laugh came from one of the groups of girls and Quatre's eyes were drawn her way.

She was tall, blond, and when she turned around Quatre knew that yes, no matter how bad it was it could always get worse.

Dorothy threw a small wave his way- an evil smile on her lips.


End file.
